Exile
by krystal lazuli
Summary: This is the second story in my "Infinity" Series. This is a sequel to the story "Alliance". I do suggest reading that prior to starting this story. This tale continues with the troubles Katirya has embroiled herself in as she seeks the help of Loki and Thor to find the Infinity Stones.
1. Chapter 1: Communication

_Author's Note: This is a continuation of my first Thor fanfic "Alliance". I highly suggest you read that prior to beginning this story._

Chapter 1: Communication

_"Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive." - Sir Walter Scott_

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki faced the messenger who stood before him. He had read the message, and listened to the man's statements. He allowed the silence to extend even longer than necessary. The young man shifted uncomfortably in front of the King of Asgard. Loki rather enjoyed seeing his discomfiture.

Finally he took a deep breath. "I will take your _request _into consideration. Unfortunately, I do not believe I can honor it at the moment. I require more information."

The man swallowed hard. He had not been offered any other alternative but to return to Cartherion with Katirya, or not return at all. "What additional information do you require, my lord?"

"Well, for one, Katirya states that she is the rightful ruler of Cartherion, yet your superiors say she is…" he glanced the message again, "ah, here it is. 'unstable and not to be trusted. The lady known as Katirya suffers from delusions and must be returned to us at once to be treated'."

"Yes, my lord. Since the tragic death of her mother, Katirya has been unable to face reality. She believes she is the queen of Cartherion." The messenger laughed, trying to encourage Loki to join in. When Loki did not respond in kind, his laughter began to falter. "Queen Kyrath is the true queen. She is Katirya's older sister and the rightful ruler."

"Then," Loki looked at the man, enjoying watching the man squirm, "who is the one who calls herself Queen Katirya who now rules Cartherion? Did her sister change her name? And, my information tells me Beythran is dead. Who poses as her mother?"

The messenger's face whitened, realizing that somehow, Loki clearly knew more about the situation than expected. "How did you…" realizing he had fallen into Loki's trap, he clamped his mouth shut, refusing to speak any further.

"How do I know?" Loki laughed. "I am Loki, King of Asgard. Of course I would know this you fool! Guards!" Four of the city guards responded. "Take this imbecile to the prison. I will deal with him later after I speak with Katirya."

The four guards quickly hustled the messenger out of the Loki's presence. Loki read the message once more before finally leaving to seek out Katirya. He first stopped in her chambers, where a servant directed him out to the gardens.

He enjoyed a pleasant walk in the morning light as he sought out Katirya. He reflected on the events of the past few weeks since they had returned from Earth with the scepter. Katirya's injuries had been worse than they had realized. She had barely survived the attack by Mythean. The healers had insisted on keeping her for a week before allowing her to leave their care, and had warned her to take it easy. She had been more than willing to accept their advice, and typically spent her afternoons in the gardens. He often found an excuse to join her, enjoying both her conversation and company as they wandered about the beautiful gardens of Asgard. Her mornings were spent on some mysterious project, which she refused to reveal to anyone; simply stating it was for Pepper Potts.

The thought of Ms. Potts reminded him he needed to speak to Thor about sending someone to bring Ms. Potts and Tony Stark back to Asgard. Tony had been fascinated with the many aspects of Asgard and had requested permission to return. A feast was planned for the following day and invitations to attend had been extended, offering an excellent opportunity for a return visit.

Hogun and Volstagg had accompanied Tony and Ms. Potts when they returned to Earth. Their report indicated that there was some damage to Stark's building, but it had been minimal. The aliens were not to be found anywhere. That bothered him, as Katirya had been insistent that they were after him and his brother.

Jane Foster had remained in Asgard for now, along with her friends Darcy, Ian and Erik. He was not entirely happy with that turn of events, but Thor had insisted. He admitted to himself that Jane and Erik were the reason behind his discomfort. Erik did not trust him and Jane… well; he wasn't quite sure what to make of Jane. Darcy and Ian had quickly adapted to life in Asgard, and could be seen interacting with the residents. Ian had actually taken to following the Warriors Three, often practicing with them. He was not a great warrior, but appeared to enjoy learning.

He finally discovered Katirya in one of the many herb gardens. She was chatting with one of the cooks. He listened to them for a few minutes as they discussed various herbs for the evening meal. He suddenly realized that the meals had improved since Katirya had been frequenting the gardens. The flavors were more reminiscent of when his mother was alive. He laughed softly to himself, clearly Katirya had taken a hand in the meal preparation.

"I think the roast sounds quite delicious," He let his presence be known by this statement. The cook, startled to see him in the garden, bobbed her head and then took off towards the kitchens.

Seeing Loki, Katirya smiled and brushed her hands lightly against her skirts. "Loki! What brings you out here so early in the day?"

"Well, Kiri, it would seem your return to Cartherion is requested, or more precisely, demanded."

"My return?" she looked at him, rather confused.

"Yes, a messenger arrived today. I have been informed that you are 'unstable and delusional'." He laughed lightly as he announced her problems.

He handed her the written message, which she quickly read.

Once he saw she had finished, he went on, "The messenger informed me that your sister Kyrath is the true Queen, although he seemed a bit surprised that I knew she was using your name."

"Kyrath? That is Mythean's wife. That explains much, but why would his family support her as queen? She was never known for her powers, more for her looks," Katirya mused.

"From what your brother has said, they simply replaced you with someone posing as you; in this case, it is your sister. Does she resemble you?"

"Not really. She is much taller than I am, and her hair is much lighter. I suppose anyone who did not truly know me would never know the difference."

Loki hesitated a moment before finally going on. "Do you recall our arrival back to Asgard? When your brother insisted you needed to return?" He saw her nod, and then drop her eyes to the ground. "I believe I said we would discuss some things. I think now is as good a time as any, don't you?"

Katirya bit her lower lip, keeping her eyes lowered. Finally, she sighed heavily and looked up at him. "I suppose so."

"Are you truly the queen of Cartherion?" Loki asked her bluntly.

She hesitated for several seconds before finally responding. "Technically, yes. In reality," she paused, and then finally spoke in a flat voice, "no. The Council refused to accept my claim. Its… rather complicated."

Loki laughed aloud at her admission. "Complicated? Really! I seem to think there is a lot more to this story than you have told us so far. But, before we continue this discussion, would you mind if I ask Thor to join us?"

"No, not at all. As I said when I first arrived, both you and your brother are part of this whole mess I have gotten myself into. Summon whomever you wish, and I will answer your questions. I suggest you include my brother Mica as well. He can provide more information in regards to the current situation in Cartherion than I am able to."


	2. Chapter 2: Entangled

Chapter 2: Entangled

"_The essence of lying is in deception, not in words" – John Ruskin_

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya had been expecting this meeting since they had returned to Asgard. That moment when Loki had whispered to her as he carried her to the healers, knowing she had faked passing out… she simply had not been ready to respond to her brother. In fact, she had not expected Mica to find her that quickly. Now she would have to deal with him, as well as the Thor and Loki. Her mind was swirling with possibilities as she considered the options, as well as what had changed since she had initially arrived in Asgard.

Loki looked at her expectantly, and she realized it was up to her to begin moving into the building, to head towards this new council. Taking a deep breath, she took his arm, and walked in.

They walked silently for several minutes, and she finally risked a look up at him. She'd kept her mind closed, knowing full well he was capable of reading at least the surface thoughts, he had learned that trick from his mother.

"I suppose you are mad at me over all this," she started up the conversation, hoping to sway him to her side.

Loki chose not to answer her, remaining silent and continuing to walk. They had almost reached the council chamber.

She tried again," I am sorry."

"Sorry for what? Lying to me? Lying to your brother? Pretending to be something you are not? Or is it something else? Something you haven't added to the story you have been telling?"

Katirya winced at the diatribe against her. "It isn't what you think. I promise, I will explain."

"I thought that was what you did when you first arrived," reaching the council chamber, Loki opened the door and pulled her inside, closing the door behind them.

Her shoulders slumped in defeat as she sighed heavily.

Loki stopped and turned to face her. "Kiri, I truly do not know what to believe. You show up on our borders, telling us that you are the queen of Cartherion. Then you toss out information about the Infinity Gems possibly being linked to my brother and me, follow that up with attacks supposedly from the ruling Council of Cartherion trying to assassinate you. We send someone to check up on your story and find your brother who claims the queen currently ruling Cartherion is not you. Next, a messenger shows up saying it is your sister who is ruling, but she is using your name. You claim to control the Cronuth Stone, yet you willingly have us lock it up in our Vaults. Finally, there is that confounded group you claim are The Thirteen, and that you control them. However, you kill all of them off, and say you've merged them with the original ones, which makes absolutely no sense at all. If that isn't confusing, you then proceed to tell us that the skrull attack on Earth was targeting my brother and I, and not you this time. Yet you get wounded, almost die, and manage to neglect to tell us the severity of the wound. You could have died, but you said nothing!"

He paused for a moment, clearly trying to see if he had covered everything, knowing he had most likely gotten something wrong, but felt it covered the majority of things that had transpired. "Life was quiet before you appeared. You are driving me mad! If Odin thought I created chaos, he clearly had never met you."

"Putting it that way, I can understand your frustration," she started to reply, "you must understand I…

"Frustration? That is just the tip of it! There is no understanding you."

"Well, I will admit to not exactly explaining everything," she looked appealingly up to him. "I… "

"Truly, Kiri, you… are… trouble." Loki emphasized each word as he spoke.

Someone began clapping behind her. "Bravo!" Thor's voice sounded, "Loki, I do believe you have summed it up rather concisely, if that is even possible."

Katirya gasped, realizing that Thor had probably been there all the time. She suddenly wanted to flee.

Loki, guessing her intentions, grabbed her hand. "I do not think so, I believe we agreed to sit down and discuss this?"

Katirya frowned as she tried to pull her hand away. Finally relenting, she nodded. "Aye, I did. Where shall I start?"

"Thor? The others? Can you summon them up here?"

"I already did. Heimdall informed me of the messenger. I figured we would need to talk."

Loki grinned at his brother. "Excellent. Shall we then?" He gestured towards the table, allowing his brother to select his seat. He followed behind him, keeping a firm grip on Katirya. Pulling out the chair to the right of his brother, he seated Katirya between the two of them.

Katirya realized they were going to keep her under close tabs. Keeping her face as calm as possible, she considered how she was going to present this and still come out in a good light. Various scenarios flitted through her mind as she waited the arrival of everyone else.

"The truth, Kiri," Loki was watching her intently.

She scowled, realizing she hadn't kept her thoughts completely under control. "I HAVE been telling the truth…"

"All of it."

The chamber doors burst open, admitting Lady Sif, the Warriors Three, Darcy, Ian, Erik and Jane. Thor rose quickly and escorted Jane to the chair on the left side of him. Katirya noted the flash of anger on Lady Sif's face as he did, filing that away for future reference. She wasn't overly fond of the human, and it appeared the Lady Sif wasn't either.

"You forgot my brother," she pointed out, once everyone was seated.

"No, he is coming as well. I sent someone to find him," Thor replied.

The doors opened as Thor finished speaking. Micarian was escorted into the room with Heimdall, followed by a small cadre of guards with the messenger. Katirya recognized him immediately; he was a member of Mythean's family. Her eyes targeted him, and as soon as he noticed her seated at the table between Thor and Loki, his face paled.

"I believe you forgot the cook I was speaking to in the gardens," she added sarcastically.

Loki replied dryly. "I do not think her presence is necessary, right now."

"Fine, then." Stalling for time, she decided to direct attention to her brother first. The two had spent many hours over the past few weeks discussing current events, but she did not think they well known to everyone. "Mica, I think you need to explain what has been happening in Cartherion since I left."

Mica nodded, then stood up to address the group. "It is true that Kiri was successful at the testing in controlling the Cronuth Stone. According to our laws, that made her the rightful ruler. It caused a riot in the Council; they could not believe it, and frankly, neither could I. I went at once to speak with our mother, and she explained how she had made Kiri hide her abilities, fearing the Council would try to kill her before she came of age."

"So, that part is true," Thor commented as he glanced over at Katirya.

"Yes. My family found the Council unwilling to accept the fact, and a session was called. Katirya and Beythran went to defend her right to rule. I never saw them after that session. A week passed with no news from the city, then suddenly it was announced that Katirya was indeed High Queen. I quickly traveled to the city, only to discover it was not Katirya who had been crowned as queen. The woman looked like my sister, but I knew it was not Kiri. Nor was the woman posing as my mother. She did not even recognize me! This queen began to create more laws and taxes that were hurtful to the common people, but supportive for the Council. These actions had been ongoing for several years. These are things I know my sister, Kiri, would never do. She was not raised that way."

He paused for a few moments. "Things are not good in Cartherion, the person who rules is not Kiri, but a puppet for the council. I could not find out what had happened to her, or my mother. I had to be careful asking questions, for I believed the Council had killed them, but then Lady Sif and Hogun arrived."

"Lady Sif? Hogun? Perhaps you might continue with what you discovered." Thor called upon them as Micarian returned to his seat.

Sif rose, looking directly at Thor. "It is as he says. Heimdall sent us first to Katirya's hometown. The people there were very angry with the queen. They spoke poorly of Katirya, feeling she had turned on them. She was refusing to revoke the Council's laws and taxes, instead increasing them, making matters worse than they had been before."

"We traveled to the city, to find a rather decadent celebration in place. We got close enough to see the queen, and she looked similar to Katirya. There were thirteen women in attendance along with another woman, who we were told was her mother," Sif concluded her narration and nodded to Hogun to continue.

Hogun stood up to describe the scene they had observed. "The queen, acted as if she was better than everyone else in attendance. As she left, we decided to try something to see if it really was Katirya," here he paused to glance at Loki. "we used the nickname we had heard you use: Kiri. I said it loud enough for her to hear, but she swept past us with no regard. Then Micarian approached us, demanding to know how we knew his sister."

"The rest, well… " Sif continued, "it happened pretty fast. We headed out of the city to talk with Micarian; feeling fairly certain that the woman we saw was not Katirya. I am not sure what is going on in Cartherion, but as we spoke, a group of guards came out of the city with intentions to arrest us. I can only speculate that someone overheard us calling out to Kiri, then realized we were talking to her brother."

Hogun shrugged. "The best we can figure out, the queen is supposed to be Katirya, but the woman we saw there was not the Katirya Loki knew as a child."

Loki pointed at the messenger, "This man arrived claiming that Kyrath, not Katirya, was queen. He demanded the return of Katirya, claiming her unstable. While I might not disagree that she does create chaos…"

"Loki! Really?" Katirya burst out, unable to hold her tongue any longer. "I think we have enough of an idea of what is happening. Clearly they have placed an imposter, my sister, on the throne. Too many saw me take control of the Cronuth Stone to be able to hide that fact."

"Kyrath is the true queen! YOU were the imposter!" The messenger suddenly shouted out, glaring at Katirya. "You are a simpleton, you have no skills. Everyone knows that. There is no way you could control the Cronuth Stone! When your mother died, you slipped into these delusions that it was you that won at the tests. They tried to confine you, but you managed to slip away."

She rose from her chair, noting that Loki did not attempt to restrain her. "Lyrith!" Katirya called him by name, "your mother would be ashamed of you, lying like this. Who put you up to this? The Council? Your family? I know my sister wouldn't be able to put two thoughts together, let alone be able to rule."

Katirya stopped speaking, her eyes glittered as she focused intently on Lyrith. Using her powers she stripped away the layers of his mind, to determine what he knew. She knew Lyrith could feel the full force of her powers.

'_Mythean's family is power hungry, and you are a fool to follow them. I am the rightful Queen! You were there during the testing! You saw me take control of the Cronuth Stone and call forth the Thirteen!' Lyrith heard Katirya's voice in his mind. No one else in the room seemed aware of her words. _

'_But, they told me you were mad.' Lyrith looked up at her, his thoughts trying to condone his actions. Then, the realization that he was wrong hit him, as he felt the full force of her powers. Her anger was clear. He now knew the Council had lied to him, and used him for this mission. Katirya, the Katirya standing before him, was the rightful Queen._

Lyrith suddenly dropped to his knees, bowed his head, and spoke aloud, "I am sorry, my lady, my Queen…"

"Sorry!" Katirya cut him off. She stormed over to stand above him. "Do you realize how much trouble you and your family have caused? Why they persist in ignoring the laws of our lands, I do not know. Are they that afraid of me? Or is it their greed? Their desire for power?"

"I know not the reasons behind this. I only know what I was led to believe. I realize now that I was indeed wrong," Lyrith replied, his head still bowed.

"Well, that solves the question of who is the queen," Loki commented, "but it still does not answer half of the questions I have for you."

Katirya turned back to face the table, her eyes still bright. "That week that Mica spoke about, we were asked to speak to the full Council. They tried to claim I had tricked everyone into thinking I could control the Cronuth Stone. They rejected my claim and murdered my mother. I knew I was next, so I went into hiding. I overheard that there was sufficient support for me as Queen; many had seen me control the Stone during the tests. I thought I might be able to succeed, but felt I needed something else to help me."

"Something else?" Loki asked.

"Yes, I… " Katirya hesitated before answering, "I thought perhaps I could appeal for your assistance."

Jane finally spoke up. "What are these tests? Why do they make a person a queen or not? I don't get it."

Darcy raised her hand. "I know that! In the library, I was researching about Cartherion. Katirya is right. To make a long story short, it seems that there are two types of rule. One is by this full council group, with a member from each family. But, that only happens when there is not a high king or queen. If there is a high king or queen, they rule."

"So, how does someone get to be chosen to be this high king or queen?" Erik asked.

"In order to be high king or queen, you have to be able to control the Cronuth Stone, which is one of the Infinity Stones. Every year they have these tests, it's more like a big festival or party, and anyone who wants to can try. If they succeed, they are the rightful ruler, over the whole council and everything." Darcy explained. "The only way they would be overthrown is if someone chose to challenge them."

"As Darcy has said, during the tests this year, I made my move. My mother felt the time was right so I went in, and waited until the very end before I attempted. Obviously I was successful. The Council tried to hush it up, but the very fact that I was not known for having much, if any powers, provided sufficient noise to stir up the people. As I said, I went into hiding, although that was difficult, as the Thirteen had been called up already. The Council was close to finding me, so I left until I could figure out a way to come back. I came here for the primary purpose of finding the scepter, the Mind Stone. I thought if I found it, I could use both the Soul and Mind Stones to ensure my place on the throne."

"Wait, you just said you were coming to ask for aid," Loki corrected her.

Caught in the lie, Katirya did not respond at once.

"Which was it, Kiri? The scepter or our aid?" Loki pressed the issue.

Katirya closed her eyes for a moment, then finally admitted. "The scepter. I wanted the scepter."

"So you headed to Asgard, and my hunting party found you," Volstagg crowed, "I KNEW there was something afoot, though others thought me crazy for running constant patrols."

Katirya smiled wryly, avoiding Loki's eyes, "Actually, I had been here over a month before you '_found' _us. I had frequented the city, trying to find the Stone."

"Wait? You were in Asgard for a month, and no one knew?" Jane looked confused.

"Yes, as soon as I left Cartherion, I came here. The Mind Stone had once before been used in Cartherion. The last I had heard of it, Loki had it, so I came here. It was a simple case of changing my appearance to mingle in with the people of Asgard. Since the Thirteen were in physical form, we were able to blend in."

Loki glowered at her. "You had no intentions of asking for aid, did you? You were going to steal it."

"That was my initial intention. When I could not find it, I decided to come back as myself, to try to get help. I had hoped once we found it, I could take it back, and use it to take my rightful place on the throne."

"But if they don't want you, why do you want to be queen?" Jane asked, "and why didn't you take it when you had the chance?"

Katirya rolled her eyes at Jane's comment. "Truly? In case you forgot, Thor decided he didn't want me to try to kill the creature pretending to be you, and Mythean decided he had an opportunity to betray me. I wasn't exactly in the best condition to grab the scepter and take off."

"The Thirteen, what is with them?" Thor asked. "They are gone now? Or what? I do not quite understand what happened with them."

"No, they are not gone at all. They are still here, just not in physical form. I wasn't exactly popular with the Council for my selection of who was to serve. I had thought, if I allowed them to remain in physical form it might give me leverage as they were key members of each family, but I was wrong. They had no choice but to obey me, but I discovered the fact that in this form, they could still interact with their respective families. That explains why at one point or another, they all tried to kill me. In their current form, they must obey me. I took their souls, and bound them to the original Thirteen."

"The first Thirteen, they were volunteers, one from each of the ruling families except the family that the high king or queen came from. That was to keep the balance of power equal." Darcy was proud of herself, and the research she'd done as she explained that minor point. "But these guys weren't volunteers, were they?"

Katirya shook her head. "No, they were not. I specifically chose them based on their powers, and the position they held within their respective families. I had hoped it would work. It did not."

"So, basically, you killed thirteen people just so you could be queen? I don't get it, who do you think you are?" Jane demanded. "It's clear the other families do not want you to rule, so why are you being so stubborn about it?"

Katirya's spine stiffened, she stared at Jane, "I was raised to be a queen!" Her eyes brightened as she focused on Jane. "Just because you do not understand our ways, gives you no right to judge."

"Jane, she is right," Thor tried to quiet the woman. "You would need to understand their laws…"

"I am sorry, but in my world we don't go around stealing people's souls, then skulking about trying to steal something just so we can rule. Every person has rights, and the right to live and die as they choose. NOT as she chooses!" Jane's voice rose as she defended her position.

"But, you are not in your world, are you?" Katirya spoke, her voice deadly quiet.

"No, but it doesn't matter. They didn't have a choice; you didn't give it to them. And besides, how do we know you are not trying to get all these Stones for yourself?" Jane countered.

"The six Stones, collectively, in the hands of one person, are dangerous. I am not foolish enough to try that." Katirya chose to ignore Jane's other comments, although she was beginning to get irritated with the woman's continued attack.

"How do we know that? You were trying to steal the scepter," Jane persisted.

Thor placed a comforting hand on Jane's arm, "Jane, I don't think this is a good time to…"

Jane jerked her arm away and rose, moving forward to confront Katirya. "This is all just nonsense. I'm a scientist, and I cannot believe that six silly stones could cause any problems, no matter who had them."

"Jane," Erik stood, stepping in front of Jane's path, "remember what Loki was able to do with the scepter."

"There were those aliens helping him."

"You think the six Stones together could not accomplish much?" Katirya challenged Jane, her eyes glittering silver now.

Jane defiantly shook her head.

"No?" Katirya smiled, and suddenly the Tesseract, the Cronuth stone, and the scepter appeared in her hands." Let's see what I can do with just three of them."

"Kiri, no…" Loki warned.

But his warning was too late. A flash of light appeared in the center of the room, and once it was gone, so were Katirya and Jane.


	3. Chapter 3: Vortex

_Author's Note: Again, I suggest if you have not read the prequel to this story, Alliance, it might help to understand this chapter._

Chapter 3: Vortex

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

The instant the two women disappeared; everyone in the room jumped up yelling.

"Where did they go?"

"What just happened?"

"SILENCE!" Thor's voice resounded. Whirling on Micarian, he grabbed the man by the throat, lifting him off the ground. "Where is she? Where did she take Jane?"

"Thor," Loki's voice was calm, considering what had just happened, "put him down. He cannot answer you if you continue to hold him by the throat."

Thor released Micarian, but continued to glare at him.

Micarian coughed a few times, cleared his throat, then finally spoke, "I do not know."

"You do not know? Heimdall! We must go to the Bifrost at once! We must find Jane!" Thor pushed Micarian away, and strode to the door.

"Thor, stop." Micarian pleaded. "She is gone, but she will come back."

"How do you know this?" Thor turned around demanding an answer. "She has lied to us before, why not now? If she hurts Jane, she shall have to answer to me."

"The Thirteen are still here," Micarian replied simply, glancing up at the ceiling where the wraith-like beings could be barely discerned, "and she left the Stones." He pointed to the center of the table where the Cronuth Stone lay alongside the Tesseract, and the scepter containing the Mind Stone.

All eyes turned to look, first at the Thirteen, then to the Stones on the table.

"Then how did she leave?" Loki asked him.

Micarian shook his head. "There is much about my sister I did not know, or understand. These past few weeks, I have had a chance to finally get to know the real Kiri. Knowing what I do now, well, it makes sense of why our mother did what she did, but it has not been easy for Kiri. Essentially, Kiri is probably the most powerful Cartherian ever. Our mother recognized the potential she had early on, and moved us out of the city to the quiet countryside. Being older, Kyrath and I hated the move, and often would travel with our father to stay in the city. Beythran used the remote location to help hide Kiri's abilities. She can control enormous amounts of energy; it is what Creators use to change things or move things. Kiri can do more, she can travel using it, and obviously take others with her."

"So what you're saying is that she, like, used some energy to disappear with Jane?" Darcy asked.

"Basically, yes."

"So, why Jane?" Ian asked.

"Probably because Jane continued to confront her. Kiri has faced many challenges the past year, more than she probably was ready for. The situation in Cartherion is not good. The Council has become greedy; they abuse the system to feed their needs. The common people suffer because of their demands. Kiri told me the other day that Mother was afraid if they waited much longer, the chance to gain control would be impossible. Perhaps they waited too long?" Micarian shrugged, "but I am certain our mother did not anticipate the reaction from the Council, the outright rejection of Kiri as Queen."

"Kiri said once, that if the Council had known of her abilities they would have found a way to kill her before she came of age. Is this true?" Thor asked.

"Yes, they would have," Micarian responded bluntly. "They fear the return of a supreme ruler. It would mean they would lose their positions, and most likely their source of their wealth. Kiri and my mother both knew what the Council was doing. They felt the only way to stop it was for Kiri to attend the tests, and attempt to control the Cronuth. They had figured the Council would respect the laws. They did not expect them to refute Kiri."

"But, they have placed your other sister on the throne, saying it is Katirya. Why would they do that?" Thor was frustrated, but trying to understand the whole situation. He was worried that Katirya would harm Jane.

"This way they can blame my family, or Katirya, for the unrealistic taxes and demands they are putting on the common people. The rich grow richer while the commoners struggle to make ends meet. This was what the Council was doing. Katirya planned to change that."

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

"Oh… My…. God…" Jane gasped when she realized they were no longer in the council chamber. "What have you done? Where are we? Are you going to kill me?"

Katirya laughed at the last comment. "I would have to answer to Thor if I so much as harmed a single hair on your head. I have no desire to do that, so you are safe. I just think you need to understand how foolish you are."

"Foolish? I am not foolish! I am a scientist… an astrophysicist!" Jane shot back.

"Great… a smart fool. Just what I needed today." Katirya had calmed down once she'd removed them out of the chamber. They were currently standing on a small hill overlooking a town. She stared wistfully as the scene.

"How did you do that? Do the Stones let you just move things?"

"If you'll notice, I left those all back on Asgard," Katirya held her arms out, showing she was holding nothing.

Jane's eyes widened. "Then, how?" 

"When your kind learn what we know, have lived as long as we live, you might begin to understand," Katirya spoke despairingly, "my life, see that town there? That is my hometown. Right now, people are suffering there because the Council refuses to accept me. I do not need a lecture from you on how things ought to be. We have our laws, our rules. They are not yours, thus you do not understand; yet your try to impose those standards on my life. It simply will not work."

"So, you still haven't explained how we got here. Is this like one of those wormholes?"

"No, I moved us here. I can control space with the Tesseract to some extent. I will admit to using to it to move us here, and will need to use it to return unless Thor manages to find me beforehand."

"But you don't have it." Jane pointed out.

"No, but the Cronuth Stone is lying right next to it, and that I do control. As long as the two Stones are in close proximity to one another, I can use it for us to return. You held the Aether within your body. Did you not feel the power of it?"

"It was weird," Jane admitted, "but I couldn't do anything with it."

"Of course not. Your kind has yet to learn how to." Katirya laughed. She noticed the frown that appeared on Jane's face. "When you live to be a thousand years, you might begin to understand, until then, you must simply accept what you cannot control."

"So, why did you bring me here?"

"I simply needed to get you to understand. In that room, you had the support of almost everyone. Here, you have no one. Those six Stones, in the hands of any one, would be dangerous. They are not toys to be trifled with."

"Well, then why were you trying to steal the Mind Stone?" Jane continued to persist with that train of thought.

"I admit to initially wanting to take it, to bring it back here so I could assume my rightful role as ruler. But now? I do not know if it would be sufficient. That was why I changed my plans, instead going into Asgard to seek the help of Thor and Loki. I also fear someone is trying to collect all six Stones. I will do anything I can to prevent that."

"Who would want to do that? I thought Malekith just wanted the Aether. Someone else does too?"

"Think on what I just said. Those six Stones, in the wrong hands, in any hands for that matter, would be dangerous. Can you not understand that?" Katirya was beginning to tire of trying to explain to Jane.

"So you think someone is trying to find all six Stones?" Jane reiterated.

"Yes, and for some reason, you, along with Thor and Loki, are connected to them."

"How am I connected to them? You keep saying I don't understand, my _kind,_ doesn't get it, so how can I be a part of this?"

"Loki was given the scepter, and sent to find the Tesseract by someone. You found the Aether. The three of you are connected that way. I've managed to embroil Thor and Loki in my mess, which ties in the Cronuth Stone. That accounts for four of the Stones."

"So, where are the others?"

"That, I do not know… yet."

"So you DO want all six!" Jane cried.

"Enough!"

Suddenly, there was another flash of bright light, and Jane found herself standing back in the council chamber.

"Jane!" Thor shouted with joy.

Jane rushed into his embrace. "Hold me, and don't let me near her again… she's insane!"

"Where is she?" Thor looked around the room, and then noticed the Cronuth stone had disappeared. He glanced up towards where the Thirteen had been gathered to discover they were gone as well. "She's gone!


	4. Chapter 4: Belief

Chapter 4: Belief

"_If I have the belief that I can do it, I shall surely acquire the capacity to do it even if I do not have it at the beginning."_

_~ Mahatma Gandhi_

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

"She is NOT gone!" Micarian shouted, trying to be heard over everyone's startled voices once Jane had returned, sans Katirya.

Loki turned to stare at Micarian, trying to determine how he knew. Then he felt it too – her presence was still here. "He is right," his calm statement did more to quiet the room than Micarian's shout had done.

Everyone turned to look at him, waiting for him to explain; he finally shrugged. "I can sense her, just… " he glanced around the room, "she is not in here, but she's here somewhere."

"Oh, great. You can _sense _her presence?" Jane scoffed.

"I can as well," Micarian added. "Loki learned much of his magic from our mother, so it makes sense he can tell if she is here also."

"Magic?" Jane looked at Micarian incredulously. "You call this stuff magic? Didn't you see what she just did to me?"

"Jane, you always said magic is science we just don't understand," Darcy was quick to remind her friend.

"Still… no one can …"

"Jane, calm down. Are you hurt? Where did she take you? Did she say what she wanted?" Thor interrupted.

"Oh, she said we were looking at her hometown, how I must accept what I cannot control, and that I couldn't control the stones,_" _Jane's voice dripped with sarcasm. She clearly hadn't believed much of what Katirya had told her, "AND said I was too stupid to understand. She basically said she wants the six stones."

"Well the stones are right there," Erik pointed to the where the three objects had sat upon the table, only now they were gone, "Wait! Where are they?"

"She must have taken them?" Thor shouted, then glanced up at the Thirteen. The wraith-like creatures were swirling around, almost as if they were agitated. "Where is she?" He rounded on Micarian with the question.

Micarian shrugged, "I don't know, she could be…"

"I am right here," Katirya moved from the doorway into the room, the tiara once more sitting upon her brow. She glanced over at Jane, "I only took you to Cartherion. I could have taken you somewhere far more dangerous."

"Where is the Tesseract? And the scepter?" Jane demanded.

"They are right there," Katirya pointed back to the table where the two objects now rested, not seeming to have moved.

"They were not there a moment ago," Erik accused her, "now they suddenly return and you have the tiara."

Loki watched as her eyes first scanned the room, he could sense her trying to determine where she stood after this latest temper tantrum. The general feeling in the room was against her.

Jane pulled herself away from Thor and walked across the room. She picked up the Tesseract, and turned towards Katirya. "You said you used this to… what… like beam us out of here?"

"Beam you out of here?" Katirya was confused. "I only used the Tesseract to move space. That is what it does.

"You used the Tesseract?" Loki stared hard at Katirya.

"Yes, but I left it here, though," Katirya pointed out.

"She wants all of the Stones, she pretty much said as much when we were in Cartherion. I don't understand how we got there. It might have just been an illusion."

"It was no illusion," Katirya insisted, "I used the Tesseract to move space. We actually never left this room."

"Oh no, we were somewhere else. I could feel the wind, and see that town," Jane insisted.

"The Tesseract, it grants Omnipresence to the user," Katirya tried to explain, "if they know how to use it. I can move objects," she pointed towards the table where the scepter sat. Suddenly the Tesseract disappeared from Jane's hands and appeared next to the scepter.

"See! I told you, she is trying to get all the stones," Jane advanced on Katirya. "She KNOWS how to use these stones."

"Kiri," Thor spoke up, "is this true? You can control all the stones?"

"I guess so, I mean, I simply tried and., well… it worked," Katirya replied.

Loki could tell she was starting to feel trapped, and her answers were lame.

"You _guess _so?" Thor asked.

She nodded in reply.

"You all saw what she did to me," Jane added. "What do the other stones do? That one she has steals souls if I'm right, and that one," she pointed to the scepter, "controls minds. We saw what it did with Erik and Hawkeye. Are the others just as bad? What do they control?"

"Time, power and reality," Loki answered her, "the Aether, that you had, is the Power Stone."

"Oh great, and she wants to find them all, that doesn't exactly sound like a good idea," Jane pointed out. Thor and the others nodded in agreement.

Loki caught a glimmer of fear in Katirya's eyes; he suddenly wished to speak to her alone, without everyone else present. He advanced on her, grabbed her arm, and jerked her roughly out into the hallway. "We will be right back," he tossed over his shoulder as they exited the room.

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~ **_

Jane looked at Thor, jerking a finger towards the door, "What the hell is that all about? I am sorry, but I think she needs to answer for what she did to me, what she could do to all of us! I don't think anyone is safe around her."

"Loki can take care of himself," Thor replied. "Did Kiri say anything else while you were gone… or not gone."

Jane shrugged before replying, "Something about how we, meaning humans, just are not evolved enough to get it. She never really explained what we were to get though."

"She is right, to some extent. Your science is starting to catch up with ours, but there are many things you would not understand," Thor tried to placate Jane.

Jane looked at him in exasperation. "We are NOT stupid. She kept going on about those Stones. Keeps insisting that if the wrong person got their hands on all of them, it would be dangerous. I think she is trying to find them all, and quite frankly, I find her dangerous," She glanced over to Lyrith, "that message, didn't it say she was considered unstable? I agree, and think you ought to send her back to her Council, let them deal with her."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki pulled Katirya down the hallway, away from the room before finally stopping. Turning to face her, he grabbed her by the shoulders. Right now, he wanted to shake some sense into her. Barely containing his anger, he asked, "Just what do you think you are doing?"

Katirya winced, ignoring his question, she replied, "Asgard is not secure enough to hide the Stones."

"What? Why..."

"You saw how easily I moved them. We need to find a better place to secure them, or else keep them with us at all times."

Loki stared at the Cronuth Stone, "Even your tiara?"

"Especially my tiara. Of the three here, it is the more dangerous; it captures souls."

"Well, now that we've settled that bit, back to my question, what are you doing? What was that stunt you did with Jane?"

"She was annoying me," Katirya scowled, looking down at the ground. She shifted uncomfortably.

"Annoying you?" he practically shouted.

"I am right here," she hissed back, "there's no need to shout."

Loki took a deep breath before continuing. "So, we have established that Jane annoyed you, so you whisked her off to, what? Cartherion? For what purpose? Then started playing games back there with the Stones!"

"I thought if she could see where I come from, she might understand better," Katirya's eyes darted to the door of the council chamber, "but she isn't."

"How? Oh, never mind," He realized she was listening to what was going on in there as well as listening to him. Suddenly intrigued, he asked, "What is she saying now?"

"She's going on about how I think she is too stupid to understand," Katirya condensed the basic comments Jane was currently making, "she also thinks I want all the Infinity Stones."

"And do you?"

"No, well, yes. I mean, no, I do not want all the Stones and I do not think she is stupid, but I do think we need to find them. And yes, she doesn't understand what I have been going through. She thinks she has all the answers."

Loki laughed. "Oh, Kiri, what am I going to do with you?"

She looked up at him, a beguiling look upon her face, "Help me?"

"Help you do what? Take back your throne? Or get all the Stones?"

Katirya sighed heavily, closed her eyes, and suddenly seemed to wilt. He released her shoulders, and grabbed her around the waist, supporting her. "You are not going to faint on me again, are you? Or pretend to?"

Her hands flew to her head, gripping it tightly. Words suddenly poured out of her mouth, "I don't know what I want. I did not ask for this… this power," she jerked her hands away from her head and looked up at him. "We moved too soon, I wasn't ready, but we had to go. If had waited, then the Council would never relinquish power, but they rejected me anyway and … and… murdered my mother… I just don't know," She ended her ramblings with a sob.

Loki, trying to make sense of her words, suddenly had an inkling of insight as to what she was going through. Pulling her closer to him, he embraced her. "Relax, Kiri. Your mother believed in you, she did what she felt was best."

He could feel her, taking deep breaths as she tried to control her emotions. Her breakdown made him feel glad he had removed her from the room. He could sense she feared others seeing her defenseless. She finally calmed down and looked up at him, the vulnerability in her face obvious.

Knowing he had guessed correctly, he continued to hold her tightly, "Now, will you talk? Openly?"

She nodded.

"Your powers, Mica said that you are possibly one of the most powerful Cartherians ever. Is this true?"

She shook her head, "I do not know. I have nothing to compare to. I was kept apart from most. Mother would have best been able to answer that. If that is what she told Mica…"

"That is what he says, so for now, let us work from that premise, it would explain the extremes the Council has gone to so far to try to kill you," He thought a moment, trying to remember everything she had babbled about. "You said you moved too soon, why?"

"That I can answer," a rush of breath escaped her. "The Council, they announced that they were not going to host the test any more. The last one, the one I attended, was to be the final chance to test with the Cronuth Stone. They claimed that the fact we have not had a supreme ruler for over 2,000 years meant that there would never be another. The Council wanted to lock the Cronuth Stone up. I do not know if they had heard any rumors about me or not, we tried to keep things quiet, but the announcement meant we had to travel to the test that year. Mother and I had planned to eventually move back to the city, to allow me an opportunity to mingle with others, let them get to know me at least, before I attempted a test. She planned to say they had brought me to town to try to find a suitable marriage for me," she laughed in derision at this thought, "like anyone would marry the imbecile that I acted like."

Loki recalled her earlier comments about the ridicule she had endured growing up. "Kiri…"

"No, it is the truth. I acted like a fool, and obviously did it well, as no one suspected a thing!"

"So, they announced that was to be the last test," he prompted her to return to her explanation.

"Yes, although many people complained. The Council did state they would continue with the festivals though. That seemed to placate everyone. But, I still had to come to town; I had no opportunity to meet anyone. We barely made it in time as it was. We had to rush everything."

"But, you did say your mother had prepared you for this, right?"

"Aye, being in the country allowed her to focus solely on my training. We were able to do more than if I had attended regular training. I was fairly certain I could succeed, but there was always the possibility I might fail. I would have hated to have disgraced my mother, my family…"

"How could you have disgraced them? If no one had succeeded to control the Stone for over 2,000 years…"

"You do not understand!"

Panic was returning to her, he could hear it in her voice. "Kiri, I am trying to understand."

"I could not let my mother down. All those years of training…"

He suddenly wished he could speak to her mother, yell at her for what she had put her daughter through, all because she thought she was the ONE who could control the Stone.

"I waited that day until the very end. I watched as others went up, tried to work with the Stone… the laughter when they failed," she closed her eyes, recreating the scene in her mind, "Finally they called my name. The laughter started before I even ascended the stage," tears started to flow down her cheeks. "I felt so humiliated, and so angry at the same time. I hoped I would control the Stone, just to show everyone I was not the stupid girl they thought I was."

He could feel her starting to tremble, he was unsure if it was from fear or rage.

"The looks on their faces when I summoned the Thirteen!" Her voice was ragged now, and she opened her eyes to look up at him. "It was totally silent in the hall then; people just stared, unbelieving that I had done it. The Council removed me quickly from the stage, behind the scenes. Mother was barely able to keep up. They sequestered us, mother and I, in a room for a week. They questioned both of us for hours at a time, not allowing us food or water the entire time, trying to get one of us to claim it had all been a fluke. During one of the breaks, when they were questioning my mother, I…" she hesitated for a few moments, then continued, "I chose my Thirteen. I entered the minds of each of the Council members, and picked the most influential member of their family. When they discovered what I had done, they murdered my mother in front of me, hoping to break me, telling me they would never acknowledge me. I disappeared, you know how to do that trick too. It wasn't hard, but I knew they could still find me. I didn't know what else to do, so I headed here, hoping to find the Mind Stone, thinking maybe it would help me."

"The Council, what is it about the Council your mother disliked?" Loki continued to probe for answers, trying to get to the bottom of what had happened.

"It is corrupt. Mythean's family has ruled the Council since the last king. They have become extremely powerful, pretty much dictating the direction the Council will go in. They continue to pass laws and taxes that place huge burdens upon the common people. They suffer while the wealthy ones live in opulence. That is what my mother wanted to see changed."

Loki finally felt he had a clearer picture of what was going on in Cartherion. He had an idea that he thought might work, "I must speak with my brother, but I promise I will do everything I can to see you are restored to the throne. Just believe in yourself, remember your mother did."

"Thank you," She took a deep breath and composed herself once more. "But first, I think we need to deal with the Infinity Stones."

Gone was the uncertain girl he had just comforted, she'd regained the look of a queen once more. Only he knew the turmoil she kept hidden from everyone. 


	5. Chapter 5: Illusion

Chapter 5: Illusion

"_The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper."_

_Bertrand Russell_

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki placed an arm around her waist, and guided her back towards the Council chamber. Reaching the door, he asked, "Ready?"

She lifted her chin defiantly, took a deep breath and nodded.

They entered the room, and the others were quick to note the subtle support that he was providing Katirya, with his arm at her waist. She held back a smile to see the consternation on Jane's face.

The silence in the room lasted for several moments before Loki finally spoke. "I have promised Kiri I will do whatever I can to see her restored to the throne. I expect everyone to respect that decision," he looked pointedly at the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. They shifted uncomfortably at his proclamation, and then looked to Thor for guidance.

Thor nodded, "As you wish."

"We need to talk, brother, but after we decide what our course of action is to be," Loki replied.

"Wait? What?" Jane shook her head, "I just do not get it," walking to stand near Thor, she went on, "I have a bunch of questions that simply need to be answered. If you expect me to help you…"

Loki looked at her, "You may help me or not. That is up to you, you are not of Asgard so you are not bound by my rule."

"Your rule!" Erik Selvig shouted. "You were brought back to Asgard to be punished, not to be king!"

"He was in prison when Thor brought me here," Jane confirmed that fact, then turned to focus on Loki, suddenly recalling the events that had transpired. "But the last time I saw you, a dark elf had impaled you on his spear. You were dead!"

"He doesn't look dead now," Darcy pointed out the obvious, "at least I don't think he is. Are you?"

"No, indeed, I am not dead." Loki confirmed the fact. "I am very much alive."

"So, how did you survive?" Jane asked, finally asking the question.

Thor spoke up, "Yes, brother. How did you manage that? You never fully explained it when you returned. Things were very confused… and sad."

Loki laughed; surprised it had taken this long for anyone to ask. He looked down at Katirya, "Kiri? Your dagger?"

Katirya grinned knowingly. He had counted on her to remember what he had learned from her mother.

She quickly removed her dagger from her belt, and held it up. "This one?"

"Unless you have another, that one will do," Loki nodded, "Stab me."

A collective shout went up, "WHAT?"

Katirya did not hesitate. Loki's arm was still around her waist. With a look of deviltry, she took her free arm and placed it on top of his for support. Turning into him to get as close as possible for leverage, she raised the dagger, and plunged it into him.

Loki used his free hand to grab the hilt of the dagger, and with a sharp intake of breath began to fall. Katirya allowed him to slide to the floor, releasing her hold on him.

"OH MY GOD! You are evil! I told you she was after the stones!" Jane shrieked as everyone rushed to see if Loki could be saved.

"What have you done?" Thor roared. Pushing Katirya to one side, he knelt beside his brother's body. "You have killed him! You witch!" He glared up at her. "Guards!"

Four guards moved to confine Katirya. She held up her hands, "I would not advise that," they paused, and looked askance at Thor.

"Take her to the prison!" Thor directed.

"No!" Loki voice came from a corner of the room, the body that Thor held suddenly shimmered a few seconds, and then dissipated as he spoke.

Walking into the center of the commotion, Loki placed his fingers on Katirya's chin, lifting her face up to look at him, "You enjoyed that far too much," he chided her.

Katirya laughed, a cocking her head as she replied, "It was rather fun. Can I do it again?"

"Fun? You call that fun? You just tried to kill him!" Jane shouted.

"No, I did not, he's still alive as you can see," Katirya defended herself.

"What? How?"

"Explain yourself, brother."

"Magic," Loki grinned as he turned to face Thor and Jane. Bending down, he picked up Katirya's dagger. Placing his arm once more around her waist, he pulled her close to him before continuing. "On Svartalfheim, when we challenged Malekith, I saw my opportunity to escape."

"Escape? From what?" Thor looked at him, slightly confused.

"All that you promised me was revenge. You told me, upon our return, I would spend the rest of my days in that prison cell. I saw a chance for a free life. Even upon that bitter realm, I would have been free. Here, I would have been confined forever. Not exactly a difficult choice you must admit."

"But… I still don't get it," Jane was shaking her head, trying to figure it all out. "You were killed there… and should have been killed just now. How?"

"Do you recall when I sliced off Thor's hand?" Loki reminded her.

Jane nodded, "Yes."

"I can create illusions, illusions that are seemingly real. Ask Thor," Loki chuckled, "for he has fallen for that trick too many times."

"Illusions?" Darcy spoke. "But that was pretty real, I mean, Thor was touching you, or the not you thing."

"Like this," Loki raised the dagger up and plunged it into Katirya.

Darcy gasped, closing her eyes to avoid seeing the woman killed in front of her. "Will you guys please stop stabbing people?"

Only instead entering Katirya's body, the instant the dagger came in contact with her, the body shimmered out of existence. She stepped out from behind him, grinning.

"It's a simple illusion," Katirya explained.

"Oh, like what your mother did to save me, when she was killed," Jane finally was beginning to understand.

"Precisely," Loki nodded, seeing she was starting to accept the magic.

"But, I held your body," Thor insisted, "you did not disappear."

"It is a more complex trick. It is possible to create an illusion with substance. It takes more energy, but it can be done," Katirya explained, and then looked at Loki, "and I see you learned it well."

Loki nodded. "Yes, and then I just had to wait, hoping someone might come to the dark planet to find out what had become of us. I was not disappointed. Odin sent a party rather quickly to discover what had become of us. I simply joined the guards and returned to Asgard. I stayed in that guise until Thor returned after defeating Malekith."

Thor looked at Loki suspiciously, "Why did you not tell me this before?"

Loki thought quickly, "Would you have believed me?"

Thor thought for a few moments, "Perhaps. You should have trusted me."

"You were not sure you could trust me," Loki reminded him gently, and then quickly changed the topic before more questions could be asked. "Now, we must see what we can do about Cartherion."

"No," Katirya spoke up, "The Council is corrupt, and I doubt a delay will make much of a difference. I propose we seek out the remaining Stones before someone else finds them. We have three here, and know where the fourth is."

"Sif? Volstagg?" Thor called them forward, "Return to the Collector, and bring back the Aether."

"NO!" Loki and Katirya shouted at once.

"The Aether is dangerous, more dangerous than any of these three Stones," Loki spoke first. "We have seen what it can do, I do not think it is wise to have it with these three."

"And, I dare say the Collector will simply collect your warriors," Katirya added. "I do not trust him, as I have said before. I fear he is working for the another who is seeking the Stones."

"I agree," Jane didn't look too happy to be agreeing with Loki and Katirya, but she went on, "Will this Collector try to use it?"

"He might, or he might give it to the Other. I personally feel he will wait to have them all." Katirya's face turned serious. "The power the six Stones will have when put together will be incredible."

"So, what do we do?" Thor was surprised to see Jane aligning with Loki and Katirya. He moved over to stand next to her.

"We need to find the other Stones before they do. Right now, if they were to find the other two, we would be split more or less evenly," Jane started thinking out loud. "We need to find at least one more to tip the balance in our favor. Do we have any idea where they might be?"

Thor and Loki both shrugged. "If anyone knew, it was Father," Thor finally answered.

"I know where they are!" Darcy piped up.

Everyone turned to stare at her.

"You do? Where? How?" Jane demanded.

"In the Library, when I was reading. I saw something… I think. I can probably find the book again," Darcy tried to explained.

A collective shout rang out, "To the Library then!"


	6. Chapter 6: Trust

Chapter 6: Trust

"_If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need."_

_Marcus Tullius Cicero_

•∂• _**Darcy •∂•**_

Darcy grabbed Ian's hand and literally pulled him along as she raced to the library. The others followed in their wake, eager to see if they could find a clue to the location of the remaining Infinity Stones.

Darcy had been spending a lot of her free time in the library, reading about Asgard and the other Nine Realms. She finally felt like she could be useful, thanks to all this research. Her lack of scientific background had always made her feel like she was useless when it came to helping Jane and Erik.

They were halfway to the library when Darcy stopped dead, almost causing those closest behind her to run into her. Once everyone was sorted out, after a few laughs, she pointed towards the library. "You guys go ahead, I have to run back to my rooms to get my notes."

Without waiting for an answer, she took off with Ian behind her. The others continued towards the library.

She entered her room and began to rummage through one pile after another.

Ian picked up a bag she'd been carrying, and peeked inside. "Is this it?"

Darcy darted over, glanced at it, and crowed, "Yep! That's it!"

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Reaching the library, Katirya was the first to enter.

She was instantly greeted by one of the workers, "My lady! It is good to see you again. Let me…" she stopped suddenly when she noticed that Katirya was not alone, "Oh! It is not often we see some of you," she admonished the remainder of the group, for very few of the warriors were known to frequent the libraries.

Katirya bubbled into laughter as she addressed the worker, "I can imagine, the libraries are rather shocked to see such a party as us, Edda. We are waiting on Darcy to join us; she feels she may have found an answer to a question we need answered."

"Yes, my lady. Miss Darcy has been a frequent visitor to the library as well as you. I have enjoyed the company and conversations," Edda scanned the group, noticing Darcy was not a part of them before going on, "speaking of which, I did find that recipe we were discussing the other day. Let me go get it for you."

"You did?" Katirya clapped her hands in joy. "Excellent, I cannot wait to see it. The way you described the dish, it sounded delicious."

Edda stepped back to her desk, located the recipe and returned to hand it to Katirya, "I think you will find it rather easy, my lady. It was a favorite of the boys, I mean… " she blushed as she glanced at Thor and Loki, "my lords, when they were growing up."

The two brothers looked at each other, clearly curious as to what Katirya had been up to in the library.

Katirya accepted the paper and quickly read it. "You are indeed correct, this is quite simple. I shall discuss it with the cooks, and ensure it appears at tomorrow's feast," she glanced up to discover both Thor and Loki looking at her quizzically. She simply smiled in return.

"Recipe?" Thor finally asked, "for what?"

"A dessert, that it seems you were both rather fond of as children," Katirya explained. "In addition to the excellent gardens of Asgard, I have been spending some time in your kitchens"

"In the kitchens?" Thor looked confused.

"Yes, the kitchens. I noticed the food seemed rather plain, rather surprising from what I could gather in chatting with Edda here," She referenced the librarian at this point. "It would seem you have neglected in offering directions for the cook."

"I happened upon her in the gardens earlier, speaking with the cook," Loki offered a bit of insight. "I've a feeling the recent improvements to our meals are a direct result of her interference."

"Interference?" Katirya placed her hands on her hips, staring hard at Loki. "If that is what you call it, I can stop."

"No!" both brothers replied in unison.

"Please, continue to interfere. Loki is right, the food has been much improved," Thor glanced over to Volstagg, who he could see was nodding vigorously, "I am just rather surprised that you would work in a kitchen or a garden for that matter."

Katirya chuckled, "I blame my mother for that. Remember, I was raised quietly, in the country, unlike my brother and sister. They traveled often to the city, living with our father in the city, so they enjoyed the luxury of servants. Mother, however, felt that no matter how important you thought you were, you still needed to remain grounded. She never shirked any task, no matter how menial. I found I personally enjoyed working in the gardens and kitchens, while mother would prefer to clean." Katirya explained. "It was often you could not tell the difference between the lady of the house and the lowliest servant."

At that moment, Darcy burst into the library, holding her notebook aloft. "Edda! I need your help!"

"I am right here, Miss Darcy," Edda responded quickly. "What can I assist you with?

"Last week, I was reading an older book. It was about some stories from the beginning… or something like that," Darcy tried to remember more about the book. "It was about this big," she held her hands out to show Edda the approximate size, "and black… or was it dark brown?"

"A week ago?" Edda thought back, trying to remember.

"Isn't this where your father brought us, to show us that book about the Aether?" Jane spoke up, asking Thor as she recalled her first visit to Asgard. "Could that be the book Darcy was reading?"

Thor simply nodded.

"I know where that book is," Edda quickly retreated to a back room, returning bearing the book Jane had mentioned, "the All Father often consulted this book, but I do not believe Darcy has read it yet."

Darcy moved over to view the book, "No, that's not it… it was…" frustrated, she wandered around, suddenly pointing to one of the smaller rooms in the back, "in that room!"

She darted into the room, and started looking around. Reaching up to one of the shelves, she pulled down three books. By now, the others had crowded into the room. She set the books down on a table, "Okay, these are the books I was reading last week. Ian, take this one," she handed him one, "and Jane, you start with this one, and Erik, this one for you."

"What are we looking for?" Erik asked.

Darcy opened up her notebook and flipped through a few pages before finally setting down in front of them. "Drawings, mostly. I found some interesting connections to things on Earth with some of the drawings I discovered. The book had one drawing, somewhat like this," she held up a sketch she had done that looked like the stone heads of Easter Island, "only they were labeled as Frost Giants."

Loki peered over her shoulder to see her sketch, curious, especially when she mentioned Frost Giants. "That does resemble a Frost Giant. You copied this from the book?"

"Yes, and this was not the only connection. You see, I think, that like the Vikings who viewed you guys as gods, other primitive cultures were probably visited by other residents from up here," Darcy described her theory, "anyways, the book that I copied this from, also discussed six sacred stones that were hidden. I'm pretty sure it gave the location of at least one of them."

"Well, let's hope its not one of the four we have found already," Jane commented as she flipped through the pages of the book Darcy had given her.

"Thor, look!" Jane held out the book she was looking through, pointing to one section, "this one talks about the Aether. How old are these stones?"

Thor bent over her shoulder to read, "Well, it was my grandfather, King Bor, that defeated Malekith…"

"That was the statue you took the head off of, when Jane was last here," Loki reminded Thor drolly.

Thor shot him a sharp glance, and then went on, "the Dark Elves are said to be older than the universe. The stones?" He shrugged, "no one knows."

"Well," Darcy cut in matter of factly, "they have been around pretty much forever, at least from what I've read. Individually, they are not really much more than magic stones, like Katirya's stone. They can do something, but together, in the right hands, or wrong ones, depending on your point of view, they can be dangerous. Odin, your father, I think knew where they all were hidden. At least, I think he did."

"Could this be what you are looking for?" Erik broke in, holding out the book he had been skimming through.

Darcy stepped over to view it. "YES!" She practically pounced on the book. "Here, look!" There was a drawing of the six gems, identifying the power each one was attributed to. "This tells about each gem, but…" turning a few pages, she paused and ran her finger along the lines, finally stopping, "here we go. If you read this section, it almost sounds like someone visited… um, I think Ireland, around 200 B.C. our time. Which," she glanced at Katirya, "if you think of it. Someone like you, with your magic, could easily have passed for a druid back then. I think they hid one of the gems there."

Katirya quickly scanned the passage, "It is entirely possible. These stone circles they talk about, that is something that is reflective of one of our festival practices. It seems like the best lead we have. But where in this Ireland would it be? Is it a large area?" 

"It's an entire country! That would be like looking for a needle in a haystack," Jane cried out, "the entire countryside is littered with stone circles. Does it say anything more specific?"

Darcy shrugged, "I don't know. I didn't read the entire book. I could search some more…"

"Time is of the essence," Katirya broke in, "if I am not mistaken, and someone else is searching for these stones as well as us."

"You mean, you, don't you?" Jane looked archly at her.

Katirya sighed. "Yes, me. I admit it; I came here initially to find the one, the Mind Stone. I intended to use it to regain my throne. But, as you can see, even though it has been found, I have not gone storming back home. I … I…" she struggled to finish her sentence.

"You what?" Loki stared hard at Katirya.

"I have had the chance, the chance to 'own' three of the gems," Katirya finally admitted, "yet I have chosen not to. The power," shaking her head, "it is too much for one person. I know that now, I know that what I wanted was not the best choice."

Loki and Thor exchanged a quick glance.

Jane chose to press the issue, "I thought so! You did come to get all the stones! See?" She looked over at Thor. "You shouldn't trust her. If we find all of them, what is to stop her from taking off with them? I think we should go find this stone and leave her here, where someone can keep an eye on her."

"And how are you going to find it?" Katirya shot back. "You've as much as said that this Ireland is a big place. I, at least, can find it."

"How?" Jane demanded to know.

"I…" Katirya hesitated before continuing, "I was brought up with the belief that I could control the Cronuth Stone. When it came time to find out, I discovered this was true. When I came here, and finally came in close contact with the Tesseract, I discovered that I could use it as well. I can sense the presence of the Stones, probably better than anyone because of my connection with the Cronuth Stone. As I stated earlier, my initial intention in coming here was to get the Mind Stone and use it. I thought about the other four Stones, the immense power they would contain, and the power for the one who wields them…but I realized that power is more than I could manage."

"Really?" Jane looked at her in disbelief, "and how are we to believe that? You just admitted you planned to use the one, the Mind Stone."

"I do not know how to prove to you that I would not, but you must trust me." Katirya spoke quietly.

"Trust you?" Jane was sarcastic, "So, we are just supposed to '_trust', _you because you can sense these stones. Like I just said, what is to stop you from simply taking it for yourself once we found it? I'm sorry, but I can't trust you. I think you ought to stay here."

Darcy broke in, "Well, whatever you guys decide, I think we need to go immediately to find this one, I think there is enough information here, if you give me an hour to copy it down…"

"Yes!" Thor agreed. "Let us head there at once, find the stone and bring it back."

Katirya shook her head, "No!"

"No?" Thor looked at her. "I thought the whole point of this was to find the remaining stones before the Other does."

"It is, but… "Katirya swallowed hard, "someone, the Other, clearly wants them. They are obviously watching for us to make a move."

"Us?" Jane looked at her, "don't you mean you? None of this started till you showed up, trying to find the stones."

"Yes, I think it is me they are watching," Katirya admitted, "but if you intend to go to this Ireland to find it, you need to plan. Look how quickly they showed up once I got near the Tesseract. I fear the Council may be tied into it, as they wish me dead. But I feel they are using me, to find the Stones. If we go…"

"I said, I do not think you should go," Jane jumped in.

"Well, you have not a chance in hell to find the Stone without me!" Katirya finally raised her voice in response to Jane. "I can find it faster than you ever will. You might look for years and never discover it. You need me!"

"I think you are telling us to wait, so that _they, _whoever they are, can find it before we do!" Jane countered.

"You're not getting it, are you?" Katirya shot back. "We were not on Earth but a few hours, and they sent in an imposter, someone Thor would trust. They want the Stones. The instant I leave Asgard, they will know, and follow," she suddenly turned, and walked to the door.

"Where are you going?" Loki asked.

Katirya paused, without turning around she spoke, "Out, to the gardens or … I don't know, just away from here."


	7. Chapter 7: Exile

_Author's note: I hope you continue to enjoy this story. It is becoming a rather large undertaking as different plot twists keep popping up as I write. _

Chapter 7: Exile

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~ **_

"Oh my god!" Jane's voice rang out as Katirya left the room. "Are you seriously going to let her just walk out like that?"

"I thought you didn't want her to go with us," Sif asked archly.

"No, but to let her leave, seriously... someone needs to keep an eye on her. She clearly cannot be trusted. She says we can't find it without her. Why?"

The brothers exchanged a glance, not needing to talk. Loki nodded, then left the library quietly.

"Jane, Darcy," Thor spoke to the two women, "let us see if we cannot discover a more precise location for this stone, while Loki goes to find Katirya."

"No, I want to know why she thinks she can find this crazy stone and we cannot?" Jane insisted. "Darcy clearly has found the general location. With a bit more research, I'm certain we can find it. Look what Erik and I had already discovered without her help."

"Jane…" Thor tried to placate her.

"No, don't '_Jane' _me. Face it; she has lied to you, to us." Jane rolled her eyes. "She has as much admitted it. So, why do you continue to even attempt to listen to her, let alone believe her? Who is to say she was not behind the attacks back on Earth at Tony's place? She could have done that if she is that good with her magic as she says she is."

"Jane does have a point," Erik commented.

"But, Katirya almost died back there," Fandral spoke up, "during the attack."

"Yes, but that was one of her own people," Jane sighed in exasperation, finding it hard to believe that Thor and his friends were continuing to believe Katirya, "they clearly do not trust her, or she might have just set the whole thing up. I cannot believe you are still trying to stand up for her. What is it about her that makes you want to think she isn't the mastermind behind all this? You have said as much yourselves, that things really got crazy once she showed up."

"Uh, Jane?" Darcy piped up, "I really don't think this is a good idea. I mean, to stir things up like this. I think that Katirya has a point, if what I've read is true. We need someone who can…"

"You're siding with her too?" Jane looked at her friend; completely bewildered that Darcy would even consider this.

Darcy shrugged, "I don't know whether to believe her or not, but it seems like she knows more about these stones than we do, and from what I've read, we need someone who understands them."

"Loki clearly knows about them. He used the Tesseract to take over Earth, until the Avengers stopped him," Jane contended, "and he used the scepter, so why can't he be the one to help us? I still say we leave her here, under guard, so then we would know for sure she isn't behind all the problems."

Thor considered both comments before responding. "Darcy is right. Kiri knows more about the stones than even Loki or I do. She was raised to control at least one of them, so she has more understanding of them than any of us except Thanos."

"Who is this Thanos?" Erik asked, "why is he so important to these stones?"

"I know that!" Darcy chimed in, "he was the one who put the Six Infinity Gems into the Gauntlet. He was defeated, and then the Gems were distributed to various parts of the universe for safety. The Gauntlet is actually here, isn't it Thor?"

Thor nodded, "In the vaults. My father kept it there."

"So, if he was defeated, how come he's back?" Jane asked, "if he is back that is. I still say that _she _is behind all this."

"Until we meet up with him, we will not know the answer," Thor answered, choosing to ignore her comment about Katirya. "For now, I think we need to see if we can find out more about this one Stone that Darcy has discovered."

"I suppose," Jane was reluctant to let the topic go, but decided to for the moment.

The group returned to skimming through the books Darcy had selected for another hour without finding any further information.

Darcy looked up from the book she currently had to finally break the silence, "Guys, it just doesn't seem like we are getting anywhere. Thor? Who hid the stones? Was it your grandfather, that King Bora Bora?"

"King Bor," Thor corrected her with a laugh, "but my father knew something of them. I wonder…"

"Wonder what?" Jane asked.

"I wonder if there might be something in my father's chambers that might shed some light on this," Thor rose from his seat and walked over to Jane. He leaned down and lightly kissed her on her forehead, "Jane? Why don't we head up there and see if we can discover anything. Ian, Erik and Darcy can accompany us."

"And what about us?" Volstagg asked, his face expressing relief that they did not have to continue searching through the books. "Can we spend some time in the practice yards?"

Thor nodded, "Yes, but do not forget to go down to Earth to escort Tony Stark and Ms. Potts here for the feast."

The four friends quickly left the library. Once outside, Sif paused, "You guys go on ahead. I'll join you shortly."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki looked both ways down the hall once he exited the library. Seeing nothing, he turned right, that being the most direct route to the gardens. He hoped she had gone there. Exiting the palace, he saw a flash of blue and black off to the right.

Entering a flower garden, he watched Katirya standing in one section. Suddenly, he heard a dog barking excitedly. Seconds later, a large black tri-color collie bounded into the gardens, and ran up to Katirya. He recognized the dog as one that his mother had owned. There had been three of them he recalled, although he had not seen them recently.

He saw Katirya lean over to pat the dog on the head, then kneel down beside it wrapping her arms around the dog's neck. Burying her head in the ruff of fur around the neck, he watched as the dog rested his head on her shoulder. He could swear the dog suddenly looked directly at him. He felt a sharp pang of grief as he recalled learning of his mother's death.

He approached her slowly, not saying anything.

"Kiri?" he finally ventured to speak, once he was standing directly behind her.

"What?" her voice was flat, completely emotionless.

He moved closer, kneeling down beside her; he placed his hands on her shoulders. "What is troubling you?"

"Nothing… everything… I… " she stammered, not really answering. Turning around, she kept her arms around the dog and looked at him, "I don't know."

"What is it between you and Jane Foster? You clearly have taken a dislike to her," he decided to start with this issue.

Katirya released the dog and sat down on the grass. The dog lay down, placing his head and paws upon her lap. She absent-mindedly began to pet the dog, but did not respond to his question.

Loki sat next to her, and reached out to pet the dog as well, "I haven't seen you for a long time, fellow. Where are your brothers?"

The dog simply looked up at him with liquid brown eyes.

"There are two others," Katirya spoke up, "they follow me around when I am in the gardens. I am sure they are not far behind this one. They belonged to your mother, didn't they?"

He nodded, not trusting himself to speak.

"She died saving Jane's life, you know."

This simple sentence stunned him. He looked at Katirya, "What? What did you just say?"

Katirya blinked in surprise, "You did not know this?"

"No, I thought I was to blame for her death? The way I was treated, no one told me… " he paused, speechless for a minute as he considered how drastically this changed things, "I blamed myself for her death. How do you know?"

"Thor did not tell you?"

"No, when I asked, he did not wish to speak of it. I thought I had brought about something that caused her death."

"How could you have caused her death? You were imprisoned."

"I sent that monster up there, to find Odin. I thought he found my mother instead."

Katirya shook her head, "No, it was Malekith. He wanted the Aether; it had nothing to do with you at all. Your mother created an illusion of Jane, refused to tell Malekith where she was hiding, so he killed her."

"But I told the monster which staircase to take," he insisted, "it is my fault. Had I not done that, he might have been killed before he ever reached the upper levels."

"Loki, truly that would not have changed things. Malekith wanted the Aether, nothing else mattered to him, and he was not down here, only his creature. If you wish to blame someone, start with Jane Foster. She was the one who found it. Or go further back; I still think the other person that is searching for the Stones is the one who forced the issue."

"Is that why you dislike Jane so much? Because she found the Aether?" he asked her quietly, picking up on her mention of Jane as he still continue to reflect on the fact his mother had died protecting the human.

"No…. well, maybe it does. Not so much that she found it, but the consequences that came about because of the Aether. Had it not been found, your mother might still be alive. I liked your mother," Katirya admitted, "so, yes, I am afraid I do place some of the blame on Jane."

"And all this time, I believed it was me; that I was the reason she was dead," as he digested the information, he considered how things might have gone differently had he known. But, he realized the outcome would most likely have been the same, the only difference was the guilt. He felt a genuine sense of relief at knowing this; then a sudden realization that he was angry with Jane Foster. Angry that she lived, while his mother had died. For what purpose? He now understood a little better why Katirya dislike the mortal.

"No, don't go there," Katirya admonished, clearly guessing his mind, "it will do neither of us any good. Jane did not cause your mother's death. I have to come to terms with it; we both do. Jane did not intend for the eventual outcome."

"I wonder what Mother would think of this entire mess we have managed to get ourselves entangled in?" 

The dog on her lap barked, and seconds later the other two collies came bounding in. The three dogs began to jump all over Katirya, attempting to lick her face. She collapsed against Loki in laughter, "Enough!" They instantly sat, and looked askance at her.

Katirya laughed, "I imagine she is sitting up there with my mother, sipping a glass of good wine, and laughing at the predicament their offspring have gotten into."

"They still mind well enough, and seem to like you," he noted as he pulled her closer.

"They are darlings, are they not? I enjoy their company. I find they are excellent listeners, never arguing with a thing I say," she grinned up at him, "unlike some mortals I know, and a few others.

"Kiri, Kiri, Kiri…" Loki shaking his head from side to side, "what am I to do with you? We do listen, but you have yet to tell us the entire truth. You speak of trust, yet you still have not told us the everything, have you?"

Katirya's smile disappeared as she hung her head in shame, causing one of the dogs to whine lightly, licking her hand, "No, not yet."

"Do you intend to?"

She nodded, finally looking up at him, sighing heavily, "I simply feel that I cannot trust anyone."

One of the dogs jumped up, and raced back towards the palace. The other two, waited just a moment before following in his wake.

"Well, why don't you start with me? Since no one else around here seems to trust me, would be nice for a change," he joked lightly, although much of his statement was based on his perceptions of the people of Asgard. He still felt that very few trusted him.

"Thor trusts you, and many of the people truly do. They have much of your past to consider and overcome; but they loved your mother, and I believe they will come to love you as much. You are very like her you know," Katirya spoke quietly.

"I am?" He was rather surprised by that comment. He had never considered that.

"Yes," Katirya looked up before continuing, seeing the three dogs returning, followed by the cook. She was carrying a tray with a bottle of wine, two glasses and a selection of sweets, fruit, and cheeses.

"Good afternoon," the cook addressed them, "I must say, it is beginning to seem like old times when your mother was alive," she bobbed her head to Loki, the nodded at the three dogs, "The boys would bound into the kitchen, letting me know she was in the gardens. Became a habit to bring out a tray with wine and cheese in the afternoon. I hope you do not mind?" Setting the tray down on the ground in front of them, she patted the three dogs. "I even put some biscuits on there for you three." 

Loki shook his head, never having known this was a common practice of his mother's. "No, in fact I was thinking a glass of wine might help ease this confession I hope I am about to hear," he glanced up at the cook, "so you have been keeping track of Mother's dogs?"

"Aye, my king," the cook replied, "they have hardly left the kitchens since your mother died. Just started venturing out once Miss Kiri here showed up in the kitchens one day. They took an instant liking to her. Now they follow her around practically all day."

Katirya laughed, "That they do. Magda." Reaching into her belt, she pulled out the paper Edda had given her in the library, "that recipe we were discussing earlier? Edda found it," she handed the paper to Magda.

Magda scanned it quickly, "This will be quite easy, my lady. Did you want this prepared for the feast tomorrow?"

Katirya nodded, "Aye, if it is not too much trouble. I will try to come assist if I have time."

"Oh, do not bother yourself. I can manage. Now, if you will excuse me, I've got a feast to prepare," Magda pointed to the three dogs, "and if you need anything else, just send one of these fellows in. They always somehow manage to find a way to tell me what it is that is needed."

"Thank you, Magda. And I understand it was one of my favorites?" Loki asked.

"Yes, you and your brother would fight over who might get the last piece," Magda grinned at him, "there will be no fighting tomorrow, I hope. Now I must get back and see to supper."

As the cook turned and quickly headed back to the palace, Loki reached out and poured two glasses of wine, handing one to her, he gently reminded her, "You were about to say?"

"Um, yes," she paused to take a sip of the wine, "where to start?"

"Kiri, really?" he sighed, "how about with the Stones."

"Yes, the Stones. I think everything is tied to the Infinity Stones, as I have been saying all along. And the more that happens, the more convinced I am that this is true. These past few weeks, since I have been here, I've had time to consider all the things that have happened. I did try to explain…"

"Yes, but clearly leaving out various parts until you are forced to tell us. And somehow I still do not believe you have told us ALL the truth," he pointed out. He could feel her begin to relax, and wondered whether it was the wine, the dogs or simply sitting quietly outdoors. Perhaps she was finally reaching a point where she could trust him, and tell him the whole story.

She leaned into him more, sighing softly. "Correct, I have left a few things out."

"Just a few?" he asked archly.

"Well, maybe more than a few, but for a good reason. You see, I suspect the other person searching for the Stones is Thanos," she winced as she spoke the name, clearly troubled, "and if it is him, he has been controlling many people. More than I originally thought."

Loki looked at her, trying to decipher her rapidly changing moods. "Thanos?"

"Aye, but while I could be wrong, I do not believe I am. He hated your grandfather, and thus Odin. That hatred extends to you. I suspect he was behind your little escapade on Earth."

"Escapade?" He lifted one eyebrow sardonically. "I believe Odin would have considered it more like a major transgression on my part."

"But, Thanos was manipulating you. He used you to get at Odin in the best way he could at the time. He sensed your rage at Odin, the fact that so much had been kept from you, Odin's choice of Thor over you for the throne, you were vulnerable to his machinations… and I am almost certain Thanos did not expect you to survive. The fact he readily handed over the Mind Stone demonstrated his confidence in his powers. He felt he could easily retrieve it once you were dead. If the group on Earth did not kill you, he would have."

Loki considered her statements. He realized she was right, he had been angry, and when offered a chance to do something, he had been quick to jump at the opportunity, not thinking about anything but what he had wanted. "You seem quite certain it is Thanos, why? He was defeated by King Bor many years ago, and the Infinity Stones were removed from the gauntlet."

Taking a deep breath, she went on, "This is what I haven't told you yet. When the Council sequestered my mother and I, after I had successfully taken the Cronuth Stone, they…" she stopped speaking, and dropped her head, closing her eyes tightly. Clenching her fists, she raised them to her temples, grasping at her hair. Her fingers tore through the braids, ripping them apart in her anguish.

"They, what?" he gently prodded, trying to soothe her he wrapped his arms around her for comfort. "Why are you so afraid of them? You had the Cronuth Stone, and had called up the Thirteen. You have the powers, the powers that gave you the right to rule Cartherion."

"They lied to me. They said they had known all along that I had powers. I did not believe them. No one knew! Not my brother, my father… no one," she insisted, "my mother made sure of it. Yes, I had control of the Cronuth, but someone had clearly gotten inside the Council, and corrupted it. Turning it into a pawn for their purposes. I did not know who until that last day, the day they murdered my mother," she started to shake as she spoke.

Loki noticed a tear slip down her cheek. Gently, he wiped it from her face.

"They told me I was to be given to the One who now ruled the Council. They named him, Thanos. I must give up the Cronuth to him, and I …" she choked back a sob, "I was to be his bride. My powers, combined with his, passing on to my children… he would turn them to evil. I would rather die that allow that, so I refused, and then they murdered my mother. They threatened to kill the rest of my family if I refused to comply. I managed to escape, and thus came here."

He quickly saw one major flaw in her story. His hand cupped her chin, raising her face up. She opened her eyes to look at him. "You once said you came to take the Mind Stone so you could use it to regain your throne. Was that a lie?"

Shaking her head, "No, at first, when I arrived here, I thought I could use it to regain the throne. I considered using the Tesseract, but the power of it was not sufficient for my needs. I still thought I needed the Mind Stone."

"What has changed your mind? Or has it changed?" Loki asked, still unsure of her veracity.

"Oh, it has indeed changed. The first attack, here, in the Vaults…" she spoke hesitantly, "I knew Thanos was behind it. He has control of the Council. I believe it was Thanos that convinced the Council to stop the testing; he might even have been the one who was behind the killing of any child with extreme powers. The fact I slipped through… or maybe he did indeed know of me… either way, he saw something he wanted. His purpose for me is evil. After that attack, I thought if I had the Tesseract _and _the Mind Stone, I might be able to defeat him."

"So, you did intend to take both?" Loki's voice hardened. "You did not think to tell us?"

"No, I still thought I could do it myself," she replied.

"And what finally changed your mind?" he repeated his question.

"The attack on Earth. It came so swiftly, and from so many fronts. The Thirteen, the skrulls… Thanos was not present, but I was not ready for such an attack. The three Stones were there, but I could not use them to defeat his minions. How can I expect to defeat him, if I cannot defeat them?" Tears were starting to stream down her face. "That is why I said nothing about the dagger. I would rather die than go to him. I am afraid to leave Asgard, I feel safe here. The instant I leave, he will know. But I also know you need me to find the other Stones. I can sense them through the Cronuth."

Loki found himself being swayed by her story. Then he has to ask himself, was _this _the real story? She had told so many different tales, it was beginning to be difficult to know if it was possible to believe her or not. His mind raced through the various possibilities.

He finally asked, "Is this everything? Have you finally told me all of it? Or are there parts you are still leaving out?"

She simply shook her head in reply, and then buried her face in his shoulder.

He placed his hand upon her head, gently stroking her hair in comfort. Thinking back on his own personal life, the mistakes he had made, he realized he needed to trust her. She was an exile from her lands, just as he had been for a time.


	8. Chapter 8: Uncertainty

Chapter 8: Uncertainty

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor led the way to the rooms that his parents had shared during their life. He paused at the doors, knowing he had not been inside since the day his father had died. He wondered what he would find, had they been kept up or allowed to collect dust? Putting his hand on the doorknob, he finally turned it. Opening the door, he stood aside to allow everyone to enter. Once Jane, Darcy and Ian had gone in, he walked across the threshold. Gazing about the room, he noted nothing had been disturbed. It was almost as if his parents were still alive, he half expected his mother to come out to greet him, wondering where he'd been.

Finally breaking the silence, he spoke, "You are free to look anywhere you think might hold a clue. No one is currently living here. Loki and I both use our own chambers. Darcy, do you know what it is you are looking for?"

Overwhelmed at the opulence of the chambers, Darcy had been staring open-mouthed looking around. "Uh, no. And, like, wow! This is where your mom and dad lived?"

Thor laughed, "Yes, these are their rooms."

"Damn, sure beats my digs," Darcy smiled back at him, "and no, I am not sure what we are looking for. A book, or something? It would have to be fairly old, I mean… well," she stammered a minute, realizing that Thor was _old _by her standards, "something of your grandfather's most likely, since he was the one who hid the Stones."

"If my father kept anything like that, it would be in his study," Thor walked across the room to one door, "in here."

Darcy and Ian followed, peeking inside.

"You sure it's okay?" Ian asked.

"My father is dead. I am certain he will not mind, and I certainly do not, if it might help us to retrieve these Stones," Thor gave his approval, and then walked towards the balcony overlooking the city.

Jane had wandered through to another room, the room where she had last seen Thor's mother defy Malekith. A tear appeared at the corner of one eye as she recalled the sacrifice the woman had made to save her. Shaking off the feeling, she turned to see Thor standing at the edge of the balcony.

Thor noticed that the balcony still bore the signs of the short battle that had happened when he entered to find Malekith and Kurse in the chambers. The sorrow he had felt then returned suddenly. He bowed his head for a moment, thinking of his mother.

He sensed Jane as she approached.

"Thor, I am so sorry," Jane apologized, "I did not expect her to die."

"None of us did, Jane," Thor turned, and reaching out, pulled her close to him, "and it was not your fault. Malekith wanted the Aether."

He gazed down at the city, into the gardens. Spotting Loki and Katirya, he watched as his brother stood, then helped Katirya up. They had obviously spent some time talking. He wondered what his brother had been able to discover. Three dogs started to swirl around the pair. He realized at once that these were the dogs that had belonged to his mother. He had not seen them since her death. Surprised, he watched them playfully tag each other, then suddenly take off into the gardens.

Jane suddenly groaned, "Oh, great. Just what we need, those two are just insane."

Focusing back on his brother, he saw him pull Katirya into an embrace, and kiss her. "Well, that is interesting," was his only comment.

"Interesting?" Jane turned to look up at him, "you call that interesting? He's an insane psychopath and she's a liar. I call it plain crazy!"

"He is my brother, Jane," Thor reminded her.

"I don't care if he is the god-damned king of the world, he is not to be trusted, and she is not any better. I still don't get why you stepped aside, and allowed him to be king," she snapped back at him.

"Jane, being a ruler is not easy. Loki better understands the intricacies of ruling than I ever will. I am a protector, not a ruler."

"I'm sorry, but I still don't get it," Jane shrugged her shoulders, "you should be king, you were born to be the king, weren't you?"

"Would it make any difference if I were the king?" Thor asked, curious to hear her answer. He had told his father, before he died, that it would not matter if Odin allowed Jane to rule by his side, or forbade him to ever see her again. How would she reply? She had repeatedly refused to live here, thus limiting their contact. "Would you have given up your life on Earth to rule by my side here in Asgard?"

"Thor, that's not the point," Jane skirted the issue as she answered, "your brother is unstable. That is not the best choice for any ruler."

"I am afraid I will have to disagree with you on this, Jane. You do not know Loki like I do. And he is my brother," Thor spoke softly, realizing she was still committed to her work on Earth. In a way, he was saddened by this discussion. He knew the life they led now was not ideal. He could visit her only on rare occasions, having much work to attend to within the nine realms. He had hoped one day she would realize that to be with him, she would need to leave Earth.

"Listen, Thor," Jane replied, "I don't want to argue with you about your brother. Or that one," she pointed down towards Katirya.

He decided not to press the issue at the moment. His hope was that she would eventually come to terms with his brother. He glanced back down at the couple in the garden, and saw Loki release Katirya. The dogs had returned, and one was weaving between the two people. Katirya reached down to give a playful swat to him, then rose, and gave Loki a quick hug before following the three dogs further into the gardens.

Thor steered Jane back into the rooms. Giving her a brief hug, "I need to go speak with my brother, why don't you help Darcy for a bit?"

Jane looked him for a moment, then nodded, "Fine, I'll see you at dinner then?"

"Yes, or perhaps sooner," he grinned at her, "I simply want to see what he has found out from Katirya."

Thor walked out, but not before he overheard Jane muttering, "Another pack of lies, I'm sure."

Walking down to the gardens, he considered his relationship with Jane. He loved her, had loved her since the moment he'd met her. Well, maybe not that quickly he realized, but it had not taken long. She was dedicated to her work, intelligent and beautiful. In many ways, she reminded him of his mother. Her one flaw was her opinion of Loki, but he knew she was not alone in that. He wished the two would be friends. He also wished she would give up her life on Earth, but would that change her? Would she still be the same Jane?

Exiting the building, he wandered through the gardens, heading to where he had last seen Loki and Katirya. Entering one open area, he spotted Loki talking to one of the cooks, Katirya nowhere in sight. Pausing, he listened to their conversation.

Loki was holding a tray; "I was just about to bring this in, Magda, right?"

The cook blushed, "Aye, my King, Magda, but you don't have to do that. I was just coming out here myself to retrieve it," she reached out for the tray.

Loki handed it over to her. "Thank you for the excellent repast, and for taking care of Mother's dogs. I have been remiss in many of my duties, I fear," he apologized.

"Oooh, no, don't go feeling like you've not been doing your part. You have enough on your plate, to be sure, dealing with all the problems of Asgard."

Loki smiled, "Well, then, allow me to at least compliment your efforts to ensure the table is filled with delicious offerings each meal."

"Ah, that you can thank the Lady Katirya. She has a knack for knowing what works, especially with the herbs. Just like your mother, she is. Since she's been here, she's come down to check the menu each day, making suggestions."

Thor noted that Magda was quick to shift the attention away from herself to Katirya. He wondered what was behind this. Deciding to make his presence known, he shouted out, "Loki!"

Magda and Loki both turned to face him. Magda bobbed into a quick curtsey, "My lord!"

"Thor, what brings you down here?" Loki asked.

"If you will both excuse me," Magda spoke quickly, then raced back to the palace, leaving the brothers alone.

Loki nodded, "And once again, thank you."

Thor looked askance at his brother. Loki simply grinned back at him. Thor noted his brother seemed calmer, more at peace.

"What was that all about?" Thor asked.

"That is Magda, our cook, in case you did not know."

"I did not know her name, but…" Thor glanced at the retreating woman, "how did you?"

"Kiri, she seems to know just about everyone here; from the youngest stable boy to the oldest of the guards," Loki replied, "and she found Mother's dogs. They follow her around everywhere it seems. In the few weeks since she has been here, she has been quite busy, I have discovered."

"Truly?" Thor looked slightly bemused, "I had wondered how she spent her days."

Loki changed the topic, "You did not tell me Mother died protecting Jane."

"What?" The sudden switch confused Thor. "How? Why? I thought you knew."

"I never knew," Loki replied quietly, his expression forlorn. "The prison guards only told me she had died. You never told me, even when I asked."

Puzzled, Thor suddenly realized part of the change in his brother had to do with this revelation. "I… no, I did not tell you, did I? I suppose I thought someone else had."

Loki shook his head, "No, I was only told she had died. I blamed myself for her death. I understand now that it was not my fault, and before you say it, no, it was not your fault either. Mother made her own choice, and we must respect that. For whatever reason, she felt she needed to protect your Jane."

Thor recalled his visit to the prison, when he had gone to ask Loki for help. The emotional mess his brother had been had completely surprised him. He vaguely remembered him asking about her death, but he had brushed it off, more intent upon saving Jane and Asgard. He had not been aware of the guilt Loki felt, but the scene in that cell had told a story, a story he had not read.

"I still would have helped you," Loki spoke quietly, clearly guessing his thoughts,"I would have done anything to get out of that jail."

"I know that," Thor shook his head, "I am sorry. I should have told you."

"Don't be sorry, big brother," Loki's demeanor lightened up, "I understand now, and I am certain that is not why you sought me out, is it?"

The two brothers began to walk through the gardens towards the palace.

"Actually, no, I came to ask about Kiri," Thor replied.

"Ah, Kiri. That young woman is one big bundle of issues. I still do not believe she has told us the full story, but I think I have learned most of it." Loki turned to glance in direction Katirya had left. "She is quite certain that Thanos is behind all this. Her fears are incredible, and her upbringing was inadequate at best for a confrontation of this sort."

"How is she certain? And what do you mean?"

Loki quickly explained what Katirya had told him. "I think that basically covers most of it, but I believe there is more. Perhaps some she is not telling us, and, unless I am wrong, more that even she is unaware of."

"Unaware?" Thor repeated.

"Yes," Loki stepped into the palace, and continued walking as Thor kept pace, "consider her circumstances. Brought up away from most of her family, trained to use her powers, told she was meant to rule, but never taught how to rule…" he was ticking off each topic on his fingers. He stopped walking, and turned to face his brother.

"Something is not right," Thor finished for him.

"No, something just isn't making sense. She is a contradiction, knowing she has immense powers, yet uncertain when or how to use them."

"Except when she is cornered or loses her temper," Thor interjected.

Loki laughed, "That is true. I do not believe her ambition is to rule. Watching her here, she is happier puttering around the gardens of Asgard and visiting the kitchens. She has shown no great interest in rushing back to claim her throne. Consider what happened when she claimed the Cronuth Stone. She quietly accepted the Council's decision to question her claim. Would you? For I know I would not have, I would have fought to maintain my claim."

"You're right," Thor agreed. "I doubt I would have quietly accepted that circumstance."

"And when her mother is killed, rather than fighting back, she fled. It just doesn't add up. There is more to this puzzle that we know. She was clearly never prepared to rule. I would hazard to guess her mother, or someone else, intended to rule through her."

Thor nodded in agreement. "So you believe someone else is behind this?"

"Yes, else why the reluctance to return to Cartherion?"

"Could it simply be the fear of Thanos?"

Loki shrugged, and resumed walking. "I do not know. I would like to question her brother."

"A wise move," Thor concurred, "but what is this fear of Thanos?"

"She said the Council intended to give her to him. I cannot imagine what he offered the Council, uncontested power to rule? That would be a difficult offer to refuse, even if it is a lie, as I myself know too well," Loki referred to his experience on Earth. 

"So, what do we do?" Thor asked. "Do we go first to Cartherion to sort this out?"

"No, I believe Kiri is correct. We need to collect at least one more of the Stones. With the majority, we have the upper hand in terms of Thanos. We have Kiri, and we have the Stones."

"What if Kiri decides to take all the Stones?" 

"I cannot be certain, but I do not think she will, now. It may have been her original intention, but I think she understand the incredible power they have, but that could also work against us. She may succumb to that power," Loki admitted, "but it is a chance we will have to take."

"Then, we shall see if Darcy has discovered more information. Do we leave Kiri here?"

"I fear she must come with us, she says she can sense the stones, through the Cronuth. If we can get a more precise location, it is possible we might be able to find the one Darcy is looking into quickly, and return before any discover us," Loki answered.


	9. Chapter 9: Confidant

Chapter 9: Confidant

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Sif chose not to join the others on the practice field, instead heading down towards the gardens. She wanted some time alone, her frustration needing some time to work itself out.

Finding a small garden pavilion, she checked to see it was empty, then entered. Removing her gloves, she slammed them against the nearest wall. Her mind raging '_Why? I don't get it? Why does he love her, this Jane Foster? She is not even here and I am, ready to help him in any way I can. All he sees me for is as a captain of his guards!'_

"I am sorry for your frustration, my lady." A voice came from one of the corners of the room.

Sif whirled around. She had been certain the pavilion was empty. Then she saw Katirya sitting at a small table. "I am sorry, I did not mean to speak aloud," she was certain she had not said a word, but …

Katirya rose, and sighed softly. Moving a few steps towards Sif, she paused, "You did not speak, my lady. I try not to hear thoughts, but yours were unusually loud," Katirya explained.

"You can read my thoughts?" Sif was taken aback. How much had the woman discerned from her thoughts?

"Yes, I am a Seer," Katirya replied simply.

"I am sorry," Sif started to apologize but the other woman cut her off.

"Nay, it is I who needs to apologize, for you were unaware I was even here," Katirya pointed back towards the table she had been seated at, "come, have a seat and we can talk, for it seems you are in need."

"Really, uh, I'm fine," Sif started to back away. She really wasn't sure she wanted to be around Katirya. Granted, Jane did not like her, so that ought to be sufficient reason to stick around, but was that enough to warrant spending time with her?

Katirya raised her eyebrows as Sif started to leave. "As you will, but I think you might find talking helpful; I believe I might be able to put the situation in perspective."

"How can you help?" Sif was suddenly curious, reaching the conclusion that since Katirya knew what her current issue was, she might as well stay and talk to her.

"Jane Foster, right?" Katirya simply asked.

Sif winced at the name, "Aye, it's her. I do not understand. You do not like her either, do you, Queen Katirya?"

"Kiri is fine," Katirya quickly gave her permission to use her nickname, "I find the title a bit much. And yes, I dislike her as well. I try not to, but I find it hard. Her personality, well, honestly the personality of most humans is grating to me."

"Why is that?" Sif asked, interested in spite of her wariness of Katirya.

"They seem to believe everything is all about them. They are unwilling, or perhaps unaware, that they are not the only beings in the universe. I know Jane, and a few others realize this to some extent, but still…" she shrugged, "for lack of a better explanation, they need to grow. They are learning, but it seems slow to us."

Sif nodded, understanding her. "I see, at least I think I see."

"Add to that, their lives are so much shorter than ours. They do not belong in our world, yet."

"Truly?"

"Is that not one of the reasons you dislike the mortal?" Katirya asked.

Sif nodded, "She will be dead, and unless something happens, we will continue to live on. I do not understand…" she broke off, unwilling to express her feelings in front of this stranger.

"What Thor sees in her?" Katirya finished for her. She laughed lightly, "neither do I."

Sif looked sharply at Katirya, wondering if she had designs on Thor for herself.

"It had crossed my mind," Katirya spoke, "as it would be preferable to the match the Council has proposed for me. However, his fascination with the human makes that rather a moot point."

"I guess I should just speak my mind," Sif smiled wryly as Katirya answered the question she'd been thinking. 

"I could teach you to see, to read minds, it really is not that difficult to at least pick up simple thoughts," Katirya offered.

"Perhaps, but why would you have considered Thor?" Sif returned the topic back to her train of thought.

Katirya shrugged, "I had thought about it; in fact, it was the main reason I came here when I fled Cartherion. I had hoped to appeal to Odin for aid. I thought that if the son of the King of Asgard, the future King no less, were my husband, I might have a better chance at regaining my throne."

"Who does the Council wish you to marry?" Sif asked.

"Thanos," Katirya replied in a flat voice.

"Thanos?" Sif repeated, "Isn't he rather old for you? And why him?"

"My powers," Katirya answered, looking down at her hands, "I wish I had not been given these powers, for that is what he desires. I would have been far happier living simply in the country."

"Well, I suppose that makes sense, in an odd sort of way. So, is that why you left Cartherion?"

Katirya nodded, "Yes, they were going to force me to marry him. I have no idea what he offered them in return, but I was not about to wait around to find out. I knew I could not go up against him, so I left. To be completely honest with you, that is why I want to collect as many of the Stones as possible."

"So you came to Asgard, hoping to sway Odin, only to discover he was dead, and Loki was now King," Sif prompted Katirya, hoping to get her to tell her more.

"That was my initial plan. When I first arrived, things were rather chaotic. Thor and Loki were off chasing Malekith, Odin was mourning the loss of his wife, and…" Katirya shook her head, "things were a mess. But you know all about that. I simply wandered about the city, taking stock of things. It was not a good time to approach Odin, so I simply waited, and watched."

"Then Thor refused the throne, and Loki became King," Sif finished. "You could always appeal to Loki, or marry him."

"The waters run deep in that one. One simply doesn't appeal to Loki," Katirya confided. "I know you do not trust him, and I suppose on some levels I do not either, but I would far rather have him on my side than turned against me."

"No," Sif admitted, "I do not trust him. He was always trying to best Thor."

"Can you blame him?" Katirya countered.

Sif considered that comment for several moments before replying, "I suppose not. I had not really thought about it. He was always causing mischief, but I guess he never truly meant harm, at least not in the beginning. Later, after Thor was banished to Earth, I'm not so sure."

"But, he still considers Thor his brother," Katirya pointed out, "he never pushed so far as to destroy him, not even when Thanos was controlling him. And that brings us back to Earth, and Jane."

"Ah, yes, Jane," Sif realized suddenly that she was beginning to like Katirya.

"If Thor had not been banished, he never would have met Jane. I honestly do not know how I would have reacted, being stripped of my powers, and left off on Earth. I am certain that has much to do with his infatuation with the woman."

"That was all Loki's fault," Sif was quick to point out.

"Loki's fault or not, she is the thorn in your side. Is she not?" Katirya asked.

"Aye, I have tried so hard, become the best possible warrior I could, and he goes to Earth and falls for that human?"

"Perhaps that is the problem," Katirya looked at Sif. "Have you ever considered being something other than the warrior?"

Confused, Sif looked at her. "But, that is what Thor most admires in me. He boasts how I have become the finest female warrior!" 

Katirya did not respond, just simply sat looking at Sif.

"Do you think that is the problem, Kiri?" Sif finally asked, "that I am too much a warrior?"

"Sif, I think you need to learn to be the Lady Sif." Katirya spoke quietly. "Turn your attention away from Thor, focus on yourself, and perhaps he will then see you for what you are. You are, indeed, a beautiful woman, and a great warrior. It is possible to be both. Do not waste yourself wanting something that you cannot, or might not ever have."

"So you think I should step aside for this Jane?" Sif was confused, for she had thought Katirya did not like Jane.

"Perhaps," Katirya responded, "there are many worthy men here in Asgard. Thor is just one of them."

"I hope you aren't going to suggest I look to Loki," Sif joked back.

Katirya threw back her head, and laughed. "Hardly, I do not think one looks to Loki for anything. Loki does what he wants.

"That's a relief." Sif smiled at the woman, truly enjoying her company.

"Well, my guess is that there will be any number of eligible men at the festival tomorrow. What plans have you for your gown?"

"Plans?" Sif wondered where Katirya was going with this. "Just my usual, why?"

"Ah ha! Your usual? Well, then, Lady Sif, we are going to do the unusual!" Katirya clapped her hands in joy. "You must promise to join me in the morning, and I can promise you we shall make a grand entrance, and everyone shall admire you, see you for the beautiful woman you are. Perhaps then you will get what you are searching for."

Sif considered this. She looked at Katirya, realizing that the woman had a point. Nodding, she was about to answer when Micarian suddenly appeared.

"There you are, Kiri!" Micarian shouted. "I have been searching for you for hours, and here I find you gossiping with the Lady Sif."

"Searching for me? Why ever for? Do you not realize that to interrupt 'gossip', as you call it, for it comes with great penalty," Katirya shot back merrily at her brother.

"Penalty?" Micarian had moved to join the ladies, standing over them at the table. "What penalty must I submit to?"

"You must promise a dance to each of us tomorrow eve," his sister replied.

Sif watched the siblings as they exchanged their comments, enjoying the moment. She noticed the two were similar in coloring, but where Katirya was short, her brother was very tall. He was also rather handsome; she might not mind a dance with him after all.

"A dance? I suppose I shall suffer through it with you," he chided Katirya, "but I shall definitely enjoy a trip around the floor with the Lady Sif."

"Away with you, brother of mine!" Katirya shooed him away with her hands. "Leave us then to plan."


	10. Chapter 10: Respite

Chapter 10: Respite

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Knowing he had much to do that day to prepare for the festival, and the subsequent feast that evening, Thor made his way down to the breakfast room fairly early. He approached the doorway, and was about to enter when Jane burst out.

"There you are! I thought you'd never get here," she flew into him, hugging him tightly.

Rather surprised by this greeting, he smiled down at her, "Good morning to you as well," leaning over, he kissed her, wondering if things were changing. This was the longest she had remained in Asgard since they had met. Of course, her friends had joined her on this trip, so he debated if that had anything to do with it. Perhaps she was coming around and might consider staying here.

Wrapping his arm around her waist, he steered her back into the breakfast room. He caught sight of Darcy seated at one table; the book she had discovered in his parents room open front in of her. Ian, Erik, Katirya and Micarian were clustered around her, eating breakfast as they listened to Darcy chatter about the possible location.

He started to move in their direction when Jane spoke up, "Have you eaten yet? Let us go over on there," she pointed out to the patio.

"Well, I suppose," Thor allowed himself to be led towards the table she preferred, noting it was as far as possible from Katirya, "what has Darcy discovered?"

"Oh, she found where the Stone might be, at least a fairly good idea," Jane replied as she sat down, clearly pleased with herself for keeping him away from the others.

"So the book was helpful, good."

"Yes, I guess. They are arguing about the actual location now," Jane glanced over at Darcy's table.

"I see," Thor was about to ask more when a servant approached bringing a plate she had filled for him from the buffet table. Placing it in front of Thor she asked, "Would you like anything else?"

Shaking his head, he was about to begin eating when he noticed Jane had nothing, "Have you eaten already?"

"Oh, ages ago. Darcy insisted on getting up early. She wanted to talk to Erik about the location; she thinks it's at some ancient site. They've been pouring over that book for hours."

"Excellent!" He was pleased to hear they might have found something. He looked closely at Jane, as her voice indicated she was not overly happy with the direction the search was taking. "Jane, what is wrong?"

"Wrong?" Jane frowned, "Why, nothing. I'm just bored. I miss my work."

Thor's heart fell as he heard that, he had hoped she was beginning to like Asgard. "Is there not something that interests you here? I thought the healers…"

She cut him off mid-sentence, "They don't understand my way of thinking, my methods. They insist on doing things their way. I just… I don't know how to explain it. I just don't feel like I belong here. Darcy, well, she seems so happy studying everyone up here. And Ian, well, he's just happy doing whatever it is Darcy is doing. Even Erik has found something that interests him. Me? I don't know what to do."

Thor listened to her explanation, nodding along as she spoke, but knowing that it was not what he was hoping to hear. He knew this meant she would wish to return to Earth sooner rather than later, in fact the possibility existed that when they went to find this Stone, she might want to stay. He would have to figure out something, as his work wouldn't allow him to remain long on Earth.

He was about to bring the topic up when a shout erupted from the doorway; Thor glanced up as the Warriors Three and Lady Sif entered. He was surprised to see Sif was not dressed in her usual garb, but was wearing a simple green dress. She said something to the Warriors Three, then moved to join Darcy's group.

Fandral, Hogun and Volstagg simply laughed at her parting words.

"Aye, lass," Volstagg moved over to the buffet table, quickly filling two plates.

"You'd best hurry before he eats it all!" Hogun joked to Fandral, as the two followed Volstagg's example, heaping their plates.

Volstagg moved over towards Sif, handing her one of the plates he had filled.

Sif laughed when she saw the overfilled plate, "What? You expect me to eat all this? Or are you expecting to finish what I do not? Have a seat, boys, and help us plan."

The group around Darcy swelled with the four new additions. The banter continued as they began to argue about one point or another. Thor listened, hearing discussions about where something was, noting Erik or Ian were quick to correct the others about their assumptions about Earth, and Katirya continually pointed out they could not take an entire army with them. 

"Thor?"

Jane's voice finally penetrated his thoughts. Returning his attention back to her, he smiled. "Sorry, but from the sound of it, they are planning an invasion over there."

Jane let out a puff of breath, "Really! If this Stone is anything like the others, we won't need an invasion. Ireland isn't that big." 

Loki appeared in the doorway, and Thor waved him over. Loki glanced at the group clustered at the one table, and nodded, indicating he would join them shortly. Thor watched as he wandered by the group, peered over their shoulders, and made a quiet comment. Darcy placed her hand in front of her mouth, and leaned closer to Katirya and Sif, clearly whispering something. The three ladies suddenly started giggling.

Shaking his head, Loki left the group, coming over to join Thor and Jane. "Good morning."

"What is going on over there?" Jane asked.

"I believe they are planning an invasion of Ireland," Loki replied, "and there was some mention of Dr. Selvig dancing naked around… Stonehedge, is it?" He looked askance at Jane.

"Stonehenge," Jane corrected him. "Erik was rather, um, distracted at the time."

"Stonehenge then," Loki nodded, "Darcy seemed to think a group of naked Asgardians might cause sufficient diversion for our group to find the missing Stone."

"What?" Thor looked at him.

Loki chuckled, "It does sound rather unique, of course it would depend upon who the naked Asgardians were."

"I hope she is not serious," Thor frowned.

"I agree, there are some who I would prefer remain clothed," Loki grinned as his gaze wandered back to the group.

Magda entered, moving quickly over to Katirya. The two women conversed for a few moments, then Magda started to leave.

Katirya rose from the table, "I shall return in just a few moments. Promise me you shall not plan too many exciting things while I am gone" she announced to the group, then followed Magda out of the room.

"So, tell me about this festival tonight," Jane prompted.

"It is just a minor festival, celebrating the new season. The city always seems to enjoy any reason for a feast," Thor explained, "it will be fun. An evening of food, plenty of wine and ale, and dancing of course."

"Dancing?" Jane's eyes lit up at that. "I love to dance!"

Katirya returned to the room, approaching Thor's table, she pulled up a chair to join them. "Magda has everything under control in the kitchens."

Loki raised one eyebrow as he looked at her, "Magda? It would seem you have been taking charge down there."

"Yes, Magda," Katirya insisted, "I simply was double-checking the menu, making a suggestion or two."

"Somehow, Kiri, I doubt you could only make a suggestion or two, more like a dozen or so," Loki replied.

"If you do not like them, I shall endeavor not to make any more," Katirya mocked a scowl towards Loki.

"No, suggest away. The food has been much improved of late," Thor interjected before Loki could say otherwise.

"Thank you," Katirya beamed at him. Looking at Jane, "Would you care to join us this afternoon? I promised Darcy I would help her find something to wear for this evening."

Jane shook her head, "No, I'm fine."

Katirya shrugged, then stood. "If you change your mind, we will be in my rooms." She returned to the other group, and shortly Darcy and Sif rose, heading towards the door.

Thor exchanged a quick glance with his brother, not needing to express in words his thoughts. He was surprised that Katirya seemed to be putting her dislike of Jane aside, trying to include her in the afternoon activity. Loki nodded his understanding.

"Sif!" Volstagg shouted as the ladies began to leave, "Are you not planning to train today?"

Sif paused, "No, I promised Kiri I would help her today."

"Well, you shall have to do double then tomorrow," Hogun grinned as he issued the warning.

"Aye, like I do not every day do double what you do," Sif shot back with a laugh, then turned to follow Darcy and Katirya out.

Thor was surprised at Sif's behavior. He looked at his brother, "What was that all about?"

"An excellent question. I would say Kiri is up to something, she seems to know just about everything that is going on in Asgard now…"

"Really? You are going to let her run things like that?" Jane interrupted suddenly.

Thor darted a quick glance at Jane, surprised at the venom he heard in her voice, especially after Katirya had so graciously invited Jane to join them. "Jane?"

"Well, she is," Jane insisted, "she was just down in the kitchens, appears to be planning things everywhere, and even has Lady Sif following her around now."

"She did ask you to join them," Loki pointed out, "which reminds me, I intend to keep a wide berth of that section of the palace. Last thing I wish to get involved with is dresses."

Thor laughed, "I agree, brother. But you are right, Jane. I find it odd that Sif is interested in dresses for a festival."

"Stranger things have happened," Loki replied, "now, if you two will excuse me, I have a few things to see to."

Thor nodded, "I shall see you later then. Jane? Shall we go for a walk, or would you prefer to go riding? I know of a beautiful place I would like to show you."

"Horses? You have horses here?" Jane's interest perked up.

"Riding it is, then," Thor rose, offering a hand to Jane. The two strolled out towards the stables.

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~**_

Jane enjoyed the remainder of the morning. The instant they had left the city, she felt the layers of stress fall away. She wasn't certain what the underlying cause was, but she truly did not feel as if she belonged in Asgard. Thor had taken her down to the stables, and once two mounts had been chosen, they had ridden off to a beautiful waterfall. The morning had been absolutely perfect.

As they returned, she considered what to do for the afternoon. Thor had explained he had things to attend to in preparation for the evening's feast, asking if she wanted to assist him. She had refused, explaining she wanted some time alone. She needed to think.

Walking back towards her rooms, she wandered into the gardens. Her mind was whirling. She loved Thor, she truly did, but she did not feel as if she belonged here. She wondered if the morning's activity had been designed to show her some of the other aspects of Asgard. She knew it was beautiful here, but… she felt useless here.

An outburst of laughter brought her back to the present. She realized she had wandered close to Katirya's rooms. Was it on accident, or was her subconscious behind this? She paused, staring towards the rooms, when suddenly Darcy saw her.

"Jane! You decided to join us after all!" Darcy ran out into the gardens, and grabbed her by the hand, dragging her into the room.

Katirya looked up from the pile of fabrics scattered around her. "Excellent! Have you a dress for the festival?"

Jane shook her head, wondering why Katirya seemed to be so nice to her right now. She knew they both disliked one another. She considered leaving when Katirya stood up and approached her.

"Let us take a short walk," Katirya steered her back to the gardens.

Jane reluctantly went along with her. "Why are you suddenly being so nice to me?" The bluntness of the question even surprised her.

Katirya stopped, looking straight at Jane. "I cannot help the fact we dislike each other. I basically dislike humans in general."

"Well, I don't think you can be trusted," Jane shot back.

"Fair enough," Katirya admitted, "but today is a special day for the people of Asgard. I hope we can put our differences aside, at least for this."

Jane considered this attempt at a truce, and finally nodded, deciding she could still keep an eye on her, but might as well enjoy the festival, "What exactly is this festival about, or for?"

Katirya started walking back to the palace, "Ostara is the beginning of spring, when both light and darkness are equal. It is when the farmers will begin their annual toils. You celebrate it on Earth as well, although I believe you now call it Easter," Katirya explained. "I think if you ask Darcy, she can better explain it."

"Easter? You celebrate Easter? But I thought you were like gods," Jane was a bit confused.

Katirya laughed, "To humans, we must seem like it, but really we are not."

**Author's Note: **_Many thanks to my beta – Kat. Her suggestions have been awesome! Thanks also to the wonderful reviews and suggestions. I love to know people are enjoying this crazy tale. An 8-hour drive gave me so many more avenues I will be exploring with theses characters._

_I elected to use the Norse festival of Ostara (March equinox), which in modern times is now Easter, for the festival in the story simply because it is spring (as I write this story). In fact, at one point, I had almost named Katirya after the Goddess of Fertility, but selected a different name for various reasons. The Spring Goddess, Eostre, is known as the Goddess of Fertility and the symbol is the rabbit. So, a bit of background on where the "Easter Bunny" originated from._


	11. Chapter 11: Celebration

Chapter 11: Celebration

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki left his chambers, and headed towards the Great Hall for the festivities. Rounding a corner, he spied his brother ahead of him. Feeling a bit of mischief upon him, he created an illusion of Jane, dressed in a skimpy French maid's uniform, standing in the hallway ahead of his brother.

"Uh, Jane, do you think that is appropriate for the feast tonight?" Thor questioned her.

"Well, they did say it was a costume ball," Jane replied quietly.

"Who said it was a costume ball?" His voice started to raise in volume, "if Loki is behind this, this… joke, it is a poor excuse of one!"

"No, it wasn't Loki, it was one of the servants, who was helping me to dress."

Thor tried to reach out for her, only to have _Jane _shimmer into nothingness.

"Loki!" Thor roared when he discovered the illusion was just that – an illusion.

"Couldn't resist, brother," Loki laughingly replied as he caught up to his brother, matching his stride as they walked down the hall, a cheeky grin upon his face.

Both were dressed in their finest garb for the feast, enjoying a chance to set aside their normal gear.

"I do hope you remembered everything for tonight, unlike last time," Thor chided his younger brother, reminding him of the previous feast a few months back.

Loki winced at that jibe. The Þorrablót festival had been an epic failure. Considering that it was in honor of Thor made it even worse. He had fallen short on remembering all the details, especially the proper foods, so when the ritual toasting began, most were toasting on empty stomachs. The resulting hangovers the following day had been rather notable. They had both realized after that fiasco how much their mother had done to keep things moving smoothly within Asgard.

"Actually, I expect this one to be absolute perfection," Loki grinned as he recalled how he had spent his day. Rather than dashing around to check to see what he had forgotten to order, every stop on his agenda that day had been met with assurances that, '_Miss Kiri took care of that my King.'_

"Perfection? After that last debacle?" Thor frowned.

"Yes, absolute perfection."

"And precisely how did you accomplish this? I highly doubt you found a list laying about telling you what had to be done," Thor replied.

Knowing Thor was skeptical of his abilities, Loki decided to admit to his brother how he knew it would be perfect, or as close as possible. "Kiri, and her army of three. It seems everywhere I went to double check today, she'd been already been. AND… " he paused for dramatic effect, "I have reason to believe she has swayed Jane to her side. At least one stop had been taken care of by Jane. So now it is an army of four, and quite frankly, I would not dare to argue with those four."

"Four?" Thor looked at him, trying to figure out who other than Jane was a part of this 'army'.

"Aye, Darcy and the Lady Sif round out the team."

"That is an interesting combination, and you say Jane was a part of it?" Thor was happy to hear of this little detail.

"Yes, indeed. If Magda is to be trusted," Loki turned down another hall, only to discover a servant standing there, holding out an assortment of items for the two brothers to choose from before they entered the Great Hall. "Oh, yes. I suppose we need these," he selected several different items, focusing on the ones that celebrated the night.

Thor, noting his brother was choosing the night, selected items that represented the day. Since the festival was in celebration of the equinox, when both day and night were equal, favors were given out to children. Those from Loki and Thor would be especially important, as they were the highest standing in the land. Children were often known to fight over them.

"I had almost forgotten about these," Loki commented as he tucked the favors into his coat.

"I as well," Thor replied, "but it seems like your army has ensured that all the details are in place."

"How was your ride with Jane?" Loki had paused at one point in the day to look out, noticing his brother returning from their ride.

"It was pleasant," Thor's answer was rather non-committal.

"Pleasant?" Loki looked curiously at Thor, "that is all? Just pleasant?"

Thor shrugged, "I do not know brother. I had hoped she would come to consider Asgard as her home, but I fear she does not. She has stayed longer than on previous visits, and I had hoped with Darcy and Erik here, she might consider remaining, but she says she misses her work."

"Darcy does seem to enjoy it here. I had not realized Darcy was not a scientist."

"No, Jane did mention that when I was first sent to Earth. I wish there was something here, in Asgard that would interest Jane as much as Asgard fascinates Darcy. Even Erik finds his time here enjoyable."

"But Jane has not?" Loki felt sorry for his brother, knowing his love for the human was causing him much inner turmoil. Thor's infrequent visits to Earth were clearly not enough to satisfy him. There needed to be some level of compromise for the two to be together. Thor simply wouldn't shirk his duties as the Defender of the Nine Realms.

"No, she claims she misses her work," Thor replied flatly. "Perhaps this trip tomorrow to Earth might help her to make up her mind."

They had reached the doorway to the Great Hall. Thor peered in, noticing that the decorations were well done, and people were milling about in anticipation. The tables were laden with food and drink, allowing as many of the servants to participate as possible. He glanced over at Loki. "You are right, Kiri's army has indeed been thorough." 

"I have discovered she has been quite busy these past few days," Loki admitted, "I had figured to be busy all day, dealing with the many details for tonight, only to discover she has taken care of pretty much everything."

Thor grinned at his brother's situation, "She is content here, unlike Jane. I do, however, find it odd that she seems reluctant to return and claim her throne."

"Odd?" Loki shook his head, disagreeing with Thor, "I do not think having to face what the Council has in store for her is a compelling reason to wish to return."

Thor reflected back on what Loki had told him, and then nodded. "I suppose you are right," he paused a few moments before cautiously continuing, "she would make an excellent queen, for Asgard."

Loki laughed, "The thought had crossed my mind, she would indeed be an excellent queen for Asgard, and I will admit that I find her enticing, but she needs to figure things out first. She still does not know what she wants."

"I would not leave it too long, brother or someone else might see her for her worth."

"I will take your advice into considerations," Loki gestured towards the room, "shall we go in together?" Loki stood at the doorway.

Nodding, Thor stepped into the room with his brother. The roar of the crowds, once they noted the two brothers was deafening. Hails for both were resounding off the walls as they walked through the throng towards the raised dais at the front of the hall.

Raising his fist, Thor shouted back at the crowds, while Loki waved and nodded to each. He still did not feel he was as accepted as his brother.

Thor, noticing his brother's reticence, clapped him on the back, "Do you not hear your name, brother? They shout for you as much as for me now."

Loki listened for a moment, then grinned at Thor, "You are right."

The two continued their journey through the crowd, pausing from time to time to either pass out some of their favors, or receive to some gift. Loki glanced up to the dais where a table had been set up for them. Volstagg and Hogun were already there waiting. He noticed that Fandral and Sif were missing.

As they approached the dais, Thor paused to allow Loki to climb up onto it first. Once the two were seated at the table, he leaned over to ask, "Where is Kiri's army? I did not see them, did you?"

Loki quickly searched the crowds, "No, I did not…" A flurry of motion off to one side caught his attention, "maybe over there?" he pointed off to one corner, where a flash of red had captured his eye. His eyes skipped over the red to land on the brilliant yellow figure instead, a smile appeared on his face.

Thor looked to where Loki was pointing. Spotting Fandral first, he practically gasped. "What has happened to Sif?"

Fandral was procuring drinks for two ladies, one dressed in a vibrant red gown, the other in a yellow one.

"I would venture to say, Kiri has happened to Sif," Loki chuckled, although he had to admit he was just as surprised.

Fandral, having provided drinks to both ladies, proceeded to walk towards the dais, one lady upon on each arm. Sif was dressed in a sleeveless red gown, with a scoop neckline. The loose folds on the top, draped appealingly over her figure, gathered at the shoulders in a tiny knot, leaving her well-toned arms exposed. Her waist was encircled with a gold belt, revealing her tiny waist. The skirt fell from the waist in a series of layers, flowing with each step she took. The picture she presented was of complete femininity, but pure power with each step she took, her confidence in her body evident in her posture.

Loki was surprised at the change in Sif; liking the fact she had elected to discard her typical gowns in favor of this creation. But it was Katirya that captured his full attention. He knew Thor was now staring at him, gauging his reaction, but he kept his face as neutral as he possibly could. Katirya had chosen an elegant style, a brilliant yellow gown with split sleeves that were attached only at the shoulders and wrist, almost giving an illusion of wings, the wisps of fabric fluttered as she walked. The v-shaped neckline exposed her slender neck, and the full skirt swirled as she walked, secured at the waist with an emerald green sash. He noticed she wore no jewelry except the tiara.

Fandral laughed when he saw the look the brothers bestowed upon the beauties gracing his arms. "Sorry, boys. I found them first. You shall have to find your own lovelies tonight."

"Speaking of which," Loki prompted, "where is Jane?"

"I have not seen her since we returned from our ride," Thor replied as he continued to scan the crowds, searching for Jane. A smile split his face when he finally spotted her. "There she is! With Darcy and Ian."

Loki looked towards where Thor had pointed, and discovered Ian walking towards the dais with the two ladies. Erik and Micarian were trailing along behind, with three ladies vying for their attention. "Erik seems to have found himself a few friends," he pointed out.

Thor glanced and started to laugh, "All healers too. I can tell where he has been spending much of his time!"

"I must say, I do like Jane's actual choice of costume," Loki teased his brother.

Jane had selected a midnight blue gown that was off one shoulder. The form-fitting gown had a short floor length train, and was split to mid-thigh, exposing a shapely leg as she walked.

"Agreed," Thor responded as he rose, indicating the seat next to him was for Jane. Jane walked gracefully up the steps. He leaned down to give her a quick kiss before seating her.

Loki had to take a second look at Darcy, for she had changed as much as Sif. She was wearing a black, strapless sheath for a dress. Her hair, freed from the hat she typically wore, was loose, and tumbled in waves. A few strands of golden ribbons had been woven into a tiny braid along one side of her face. She suddenly grimaced and tugged at the gown.

"You look fine, Darcy," Ian assured her.

"Indeed, I do not believe I have seen you look quite so radiant," Thor added to the compliment.

"Or without a hat," Loki commented.

This last comment caused Darcy's hands to fly up to her hair. "I'm just not used to all this. Kiri said it was pretty much expected."

"It is," Thor assured her, "and you do look gorgeous."

Fandral was about to escort his two ladies up, when a young boy darted up to his group.

"Miss Kiri!" the boy was almost breathless as he spoke, so excited to finally be old enough to attend one of the festivals.

His father caught up to him, and took his hand. "I am sorry, my lady. He managed to take off before I could stop him."

Katirya smiled, and looked down at the young lad. "No, he is fine," she bent down to speak with the boy, handing him one of the trinkets she was passing out, "is this your first Festival?"

The boy eagerly took the trinket, stuffing it into a pocket, then nodded. "Aye, it is!"

Katirya laughed, "I can remember mine. It is exciting, is it not?"

The boy nodded again, the suddenly pulled out a necklace, "Oh, I forgot! I made this for you," he held his hand out.

Katirya accepted the necklace, and quickly expressed her gratitude, "Why this is lovely, and it goes perfectly with my dress! I shall wear it tonight. Now," she glanced up at his father who was beaming at the boy's good behavior, "you must promise me one of the dances tonight."

The boy's mouth opened into a big, round "O" at the request for a dance.

"My lady," the boy's father began, "you do not have…"

"I insist! It is, after all, his first festival. He must have at least one dance," she grinned up at the father. "Now, your name, young sir? We shall do the first country dance after dinner."

"It's Brant, Miss Kiri," he started to dash off, then remembered his manners, and bowed. "My friends are going to be so jealous!"

Katirya rose, smiling at the father. "He is a charming lad. I am certain he will break many hearts when he grows older."

"That is most kind of you, my lady," the father bowed, then left to follow his son.

Fandral led Sif and Katirya up to their places at the table. Loki and Thor rose as the ladies were seated. Fandral had managed to set it up so that he was in the middle of the two still, although Katirya now had Loki to her left.

Katirya looked down at the necklace the boy had given her. It held a lovely emerald green stone in the center, surrounded by yellow stones made to resemble a flower. She unhooked the clasp and started to put it around her neck, when Loki reached behind her, taking it from her hands.

"And you shall save at least one dance for me," Loki whispered in her ear as he hooked the necklace, his fingers brushing against her neck.

The food was brought out, and the feast began. Once everyone was full, tables were pushed to the side, and musicians set up, beginning to play.

Fandral rose, and extended one hand to Katirya, "My lady, I believe you promised this dance to me."

"Don't forget to save one for me!" Volstagg bellowed.

Katirya laughed, and following him out to the dance floor. Loki, knowing Fandral had done that on purpose, smiled at Sif, "Lady Sif? Would you do me the honors?" He wondered if she would agree or not. Surprisingly, she nodded.

The musicians struck up a lively country-dance, and soon all the dancers were whirling about. Loki noticed that Thor was in deep conversation with Jane, choosing not to participate in the first dance. When the music stopped, he watched as Katirya bowed to Fandral, then stepped over to Brandt who was waiting eagerly by the edge of the dance floor. As the second set began, she was laughing as she danced with the young lad. Fandral had claimed Sif for this dance, so Loki moved off to the edges to watch.

The dance ended, with Katirya and her partner standing breathless directly in front of him. "Thank you, my lord," she curtsied to the boy, who blushed at the attention.

Brandt, uncertain what the correct protocol was, shifted a bit from foot to foot, then spied Loki. "My King!" he led Katirya over to Loki, "I think this is yours," then realizing what he had said, he stammered, "I… I … mean, I …"

Katirya laughed, "Do not fret, Brandt, for indeed, I did promise Loki this next dance."

Brandt stared up at Loki, then suddenly blurted out, "You ought to marry her, you know."

Katirya struggled to hold back her laughter, seeing Loki suddenly being told what to do by a young boy.

Loki looked gravely at Brandt before speaking, "I believe you might have a point. I shall take your advice into consideration."

Brandt considered Loki's answer before replying, "Well, if you don't, I will. You will wait till I grow up though, won't you Miss Kiri?"

Katirya allowed the laughter to bubble up with this charming comment, "Aye, Master Brandt, I shall indeed wait for you if that is the case."

Brandt's parents suddenly appeared to collect their son, "My King, I am so sorry he has bothered you," his mother began.

"Oh, he has not bothered me at all," Loki replied, glancing archly at Katirya.

"My lady, you did not need to dance with him," his father added.

"It was indeed my pleasure," Katirya declared. "I enjoyed it thoroughly."

As the family moved off, Katirya turned towards the tables, when Loki grabbed her hand, "I believe you promised me at least one dance."

She nodded, hearing another dance set being formed. This time, a slower, more intimate dance was starting up. She moved into his arms, preparing for the dance, when suddenly she stiffened, her face going completely white.

"What is wrong, Kiri?" Loki asked.

"We have visitors," her eyes suddenly narrowed, "it cannot be…"


	12. Chapter 12: Relative

Chapter 12: Relative

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

"Visitors?" Loki turned to look towards the doorway, but saw nothing at first. Then a man appeared, brushing off the armed guards who were escorting him.

"I demand to see the King!" he bellowed, glaring at those near him as he continued to push through the crowds. "Where is Odin? He must return my daughter at once!"

Silence fell upon the room. All eyes turned to the man.

"My father," Katirya spoke flatly, moving to stand behind Loki, trying to hide.

"Your father?" Loki replied. "What is he doing here?"

"I do not know… And… NO! It cannot be…" Katirya felt another presence; her eyes flew wildly towards the man in the doorway, seeking who the other person was. She finally focused on a woman standing next to the man. "She is… was… dead. I saw it," stumbling forward a few steps, she felt Loki grab her, preventing her from falling.

Thor had risen from the table when the man entered. He moved to intercept him before he could find Katirya in the crowd. "My father, Odin is dead," he spoke bluntly to the man.

"You must be Thor. Are you the king now?" the man attempted to stare down Thor. "I have come to retrieve my daughter."

"No, my brother, Loki, is now King of Asgard. Who are you, and more importantly, who is your daughter, and why do you come in here making such demands?" Thor threw the questions at the man; clearly furious he had disrupted the revelries.

"I am Althanas, of Cartherion. My daughter is hiding over there, Katirya," the man had finally spotted her, pointing towards Loki. "Come forth child, for you must return at once," his voice suddenly mellowed as he spoke to Katirya.

Katirya felt Loki's hold on her increase; she felt comforted by it. Leaning into him, she whispered, "No, do not let them take me back."

"Shhh, you cannot be forced to leave," he replied, noticing she was staring at the woman beside Althanas. It appeared to be Beythran, her mother.

Feeling strength from the support of Loki, Katirya straightened up to face her father, trying to avoid looking at Beythran, "I am sorry, but I will not return unless it is on my terms."

"Your terms?" Althanas cackled, "I am sorry, but you cannot be serious. You will come home at once."

Thor had moved up behind Loki and Katirya to add his support to her. Katirya felt his hand on her shoulder as she reached deep within herself for more strength. She could not believe what she was seeing, her mother, standing there in front of her, very much alive. Ignoring her father's demands, she finally faced her mother. "How is it you are here? Last time I saw you, you lay dead upon the floors of the Council chambers, killed when I refused to give in to their ridiculous demands."

"Kiri," Althanas spoke before Beythran could answer, "have you been telling them those wild tales?" his gaze switched from his daughter to Loki, "Has she said how she is queen, and controls some crazy stone, and that she brought forth the Thirteen? I do hope you did not believe her. She is unstable, and needs to be treated. We must take her back to our healers. I am sorry she has disrupted your lives."

Jane had joined them, muttering under her breath, "I told you she wasn't telling the truth."

Katirya whirled around to face Jane, having overheard her comment, "The truth? You want the truth? Ask them to tell you the truth!"

"Kiri, honey, calm down," Beythran finally spoke. "You will only get more upset if you continue to pretend…"

"Pretend?" Katirya glared at her mother. "I am not the one who lied. It seems you have both lied to me, all my life! I am not returning with you. I will only return when the Council accepts me for what I am, what you raised me to be!"

"Kiri, you are delusional. You were never raised to be anything more than a simple girl. You always pretended to have grand powers. Your sister has been selected by the Council to serve as queen, just as it was always planned. That is why she married Mythean."

At the mention of Mythean, Althanas looked at those gathered around her. "Where is Mythean? He came with you, did he not? He was sent to follow you, to make sure you did not harm anyone. His last report stated that you were doing well."

"Me? Harm anyone?" Katirya felt the rage begin to course through her, all her life she had apparently been lied to. It was now making sense why her mother had suggested which members of each family would make the best choice for the Thirteen.

"Calm down," her father repeated, "now where is Mythean?"

"Your spy is dead," she spat at him, "at least the physical form is dead. Along with the other twelve you handpicked for me."

"You killed them?" Beythran was shocked. "How? Why?"

"How?" Katirya laughed, "that was easy. You taught me that. As to why, the first eight turned on me once I found the Tesseract. Mythean tried to kill me when we found the Mind Stone."

"Mythean would never do anything like that," Beythran insisted. "They were only there to protect you, you know so little of the world."

"Protect me? They tried to kill me, and almost succeeded!" Katirya shouted back. "I almost died because of them. Although death would be preferable to the fate you have planned for me. I refuse to return and marry the Council's choice."

"Kiri, you simply do not understand." Beythran tones attempted to placate Katirya.

"What is there to understand? I do not know what Thanos has promised you in exchange for me, but you had better find another bargaining chip for I shall not be your pawn any longer. Use Kyrath instead, she is no longer married since Mythean is…"

"Is what?" Althanas cut her off. "Dead? You murdered him. You know you will have to answer to the Council for that. He was much favored," Althanas replied.

"No, he was not murdered, he has been absorbed by the Thirteen, He is now one of them." Katirya explained.

"Are you still pretending that you control the Thirteen?" Althanas started talking to Katirya like she was a simpleton again.

"Pretending? No, I am not pretending, it is you who are living the lies," Katirya shot back. "If I am just this fool you claim me to be, why is Thanos so desperate to have me? Answer me that!"

"Thor, Loki?" Althanas decided to try to appeal to the two brothers, "Perhaps we could go somewhere quiet, sit down, and discuss this. As you can see, she is quite unreasonable, very unstable, and a danger to everyone. Beythran can speak with her, try to reason with her while we chat, but I assure you, it is not likely she will listen. She seems to have gone too far into madness. It is sad, for we tried to keep it quiet, raised her quietly in the country to keep her calmer."

At that moment, Micarian stepped forward, flanked by Sif and the Warriors Three, "I am sorry father, but you are the one telling the lies. I saw it for myself, the day when Kiri succeeded in the tests. I saw someone pretend to be my sister, accepting the throne a week later. It was not Katirya; I did not know it was Kyrath, for I had not seen her for many years. Who followed in this _queen's_ wake back in Cartherion? It was definitely not you, mother. And why do they call this _queen_ Katirya, not Kyrath if it is indeed my other sister? Can you answer these questions? It seems that there are too many contradictions to your story."

Althanas' eyes widened when he saw his son. "Mica? She has deceived you too? What trickery is this?"

"She did not need to deceive me, father, though I shudder to call you that. What deviltry have you planned? Giving her to Thanos? I saw it with my own eyes. Was it your plan to rule through her?" Micarian threw the questions at Althanas.

"I see your plan now, you intended to keep me under Mother's watchful eye, do everything exactly as she planned. The only thing you did not predict was my reaction to Mother's alleged death," Katirya spoke up, "the Council is more corrupt than I even thought! It needs to be destroyed, and maybe I am not the one to do it, but I will not be your puppet ruler!"

Althanas rounded on Beythran, "I thought you said she was malleable? Would do your bidding? THAT does not sound like the daughter you promised the Council!" He raised his arm as if to strike her.

Thor moved swiftly, grabbing Althanas' arm before he could hit Beythran. "Stop!"

Althanas glared up at the enraged Thor. "She is my wife! Let me go."

"You will not hit her, whether she deserves it or not," Thor refused to release Althanas.

Loki moved to stand beside his brother, shielding Katirya from her parents. "I do believe you have overstayed your welcome. You have interrupted our festival, and I am afraid I cannot invite you to join us, I believe Katirya finds your presence rather unwelcome."

"We will not leave until she comes with us," Althanas replied, tugging at his arm. Thor finally released it.

Katirya moved to stand between Thor and Loki. "I told you, I will not do your bidding. You have lied to me, forced me to pretend I had no powers. Did you lie to me about the Council? Telling me that they would kill me if they found out? Was that a lie too?"

"No, Kiri. It was not a lie," Beythran attempted to smile, but it looked more like a grimace. "And you do not have any _special _powers. You are not any different than any others."

"We led you to believe you were special, if that is lying, then we are guilty of that," Althanas added. "You were the one who made up all the stuff about some silly stone, a stone that would define you as queen. You know the Council chooses the king and queen. And this nonsense about the Thirteen, they are only a legend, a tale told to children. They are nothing, you are nothing."

"So…" Katirya's voice had grown deadly cold, "if I am nothing, and have no powers, I suppose this is all my imagination," she held out her hands, no longer empty. In one she held the scepter, and in the other the Tesseract. Her eyes had turned a bright silver color, and the Thirteen had entered the room.

Beythran blanched, "Kiri, really. You need to quit pretending to be something you are not."

"Well, if I am nothing, then I suppose nothing will happen if I use these things," raising the Tesseract, she pointed it at Althanas and Beythran. A flash of blue appeared, and an instant later the couple was gone.

"Oh my god! Did you just kill your parents?" Jane shrieked.

"No, I just sent them home."

Loki looked at her curiously, "Home?"

"Cartherion," Katirya smirked, "more or less…"

"More or less?" Loki asked.

"Yes. Cartherion, but probably not somewhere they will be happy," she bit her lower lip, knowing that the choice was not the best for her parents, "Mythean's family home. They have a bit of explaining to do, I believe."

Suddenly, she handed the Tesseract and scepter to Thor, turned to Loki, and melted into his arms with a sob. Loki pulled her close, holding her tightly. He looked over her head at Thor, "I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of this."


	13. Chapter 13: Counterpoint

Chapter 13: Counterpoint

AUTHORS NOTE: _While I was writing this chapter, I was listening to one of my favorite CD's, Tidelands, by Circa Paleo. One song in particular was very inspirational for this chapter – "Promontory'. It is two tracks actually on this CD, the second track it is called, appropriately, "The Kiss". Hope you enjoy this chapter. _

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki continued to hold Katirya, feeling her shaking. The past few minutes had taken a toll on her. He glanced around and noticed many of the revelers had moved towards them.

One guard approached them, "I am sorry, I did not realize they meant any harm. They said they were here for the festival."

Thor waved him off, "It is not your fault. They would have found a way in no matter what."

Young Brandt suddenly moved through the crowd, and tugged at Katirya's skirt, "Miss Kiri. I promise, none of us will let those bad people hurt you."

Loki felt Katirya stir slightly, then released her hold on him. She turned slightly, and he allowed his hands to slide down to her waist. She bent over, and touched Brandt lightly on his head.

"Thank you," she spoke softly to the young lad.

Katirya stepped back, pressing into Loki once more as her knees started to buckle. He swept her up into her arms, and felt as she nestled against him, drawing comfort from him.

With a nod towards the Tesseract and the scepter, "Thor, keep hold of those, I'm going to take her back to her rooms."

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~ **_

As Loki carried Katirya out, Jane stared at the Tesseract and the scepter Thor was now holding, "How did she get those? I thought we put them in the vault?"

Thor sighed, "We did."

"I told you, all she wants is the Stones." Jane spoke sharply. "If we take her down to Earth with us tomorrow, what is to stop her from claiming them all?"

"Nothing, if that is what she truly wants. Jane, I thought the two of you were starting to get along."

"I thought so too, but honestly, that was a bit too much. You cannot believe she did not know at least some of what her parents just told her."

"Jane, I do not know what she knew, but her reaction leads me to believe this was a complete shock to her," Thor spoke softly. "She thought her mother had been killed, to discover that it was all a ruse, that is hard to understand."

"I suppose so," Jane conceded. "But do you truly think it is wise to take her down to Earth to search for this other Stone?"

"Jane, you saw how she was able to summon the Tesseract, and use it against her parents." Thor replied, "I believe we need her to find the next Stone."

"Well, someone will need to keep an eye on her."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki carried Katirya out of the room, leaving through the first open door he encountered. It opened into the gardens. He glanced down at her, seeing a tear slide down her cheeks.

He stopped, setting her down. She swayed slightly, leaning into him. The strength she had exhibited in front of her parents was gone. It had clearly taken a lot out of her.

"Kiri?" He spoke softly, his arms encircling her waist.

She looked at him, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "I… I cannot believe that they lied to me like that. But it is starting to make some sense, why she suggested who to select for the Thirteen, why they rushed me to go through the test..." she paused, finally going on, "I wonder how much the Council truly knew about me, they had to have been a part of this whole thing, set the entire thing up."

The darkness of the garden enveloped them, making him feel as if they were the only two people in the universe. The starlight reflected in her eyes. She took a deep breath, her lips slightly open. Suddenly, all he wanted to do was kiss her.

Acting on his thoughts, he bent to kiss her. His lips touched hers, lightly at first. He could taste the spiced wine she had been drinking at dinner.

One hand moved to touch the back of her head, and he felt the flowers twined into her hair. The scent of jasmine wafted up, and he realized they were real. The heady scent excited him, and he deepened the kiss. She moaned softly, pressing against him.

He broke away from her soft lips, heard her whimper slightly. He could feel her heart racing, and he realized he wanted more. "Oh, Kiri," he whispered, looking into her eyes. "Brandt is right, you will have to marry me, for I cannot stop with just one kiss."

She leaned her head into his chest, sighing softly. "I wish it were just that simple."

"It can be."

She leaned back, arching her neck to look up at him, "Can it?"

He could hear the hopefulness in her voice, but the sight of Brandt's necklace, resting on the swell of her breasts distracted him, his eyes followed the trail of the chain along her neck. His mouth descended on the curve of her neck, his teeth nipped at the tender flesh. He heard the sharp intake of breath as she reacted to the sensation.

A clatter of sharp nails upon the stones of the garden path announced the arrival of the three dogs. Loki groaned at the interruption.

Katirya laughed, dropping one hand to pet the dogs.

"We _will_ finish this later," he warned her.

Her eyes flashed as a smile danced across her lips. He noted that they were swollen from his kiss. "If you insist," she teased.

"Oh, I insist," he wrapped one arm around her waist, and guided her down the path towards her rooms. The dogs trotted along behind, completely unaware of what they had interrupted.

Reaching her rooms, they entered. He stopped, turning her to face him. He noticed fear had returned to her eyes. "What is it?"

"They will tell him, I must leave."

He did not need to ask who she was speaking of. "No, you are safe here. We can protect you here better than you can protect yourself. You cannot continue to hide."

"We must find that fourth Stone," she closed her eyes. "Maybe, just maybe I can defeat him. I will not be his."

"No, you belong to me, that much is clear. I will not let anyone harm you," he pulled her back into his arms, and kissed her again, feeling his passion rise. She responded to his demands, giving in to the feelings.

He broke off the kiss, his breathing ragged.

The door suddenly burst open, Thor took in the situation, and grinned. "Sorry to bother you, but Heimdall has sent word that someone is coming from Cartherion. We need to leave for Earth at once. Jane and the others are going to meet us at the Bifrost."

"Your timing, as always big brother, is impeccable," Loki spoke sarcastically.

Thor simply shrugged.

"I need to change," Katirya glanced down at her gown, "I do not believe this would be appropriate for our venture."

Loki reluctantly let her leave his arms, and watched as she retreated to her bedchambers to change. He then turned to look at Thor.

Thor lifted one eyebrow, not saying a word.

"Ok, you are right, she would make an excellent queen for Asgard."

"So, I can expect to have a sister soon?"

"As soon as I can convince her."

"You seemed to be doing a pretty good job of it just now."

Katirya returned, dressed back in her typical attire. "I am ready. Shall we go?" If she had overheard any of their conversation, she gave no indication of it, except for a slight softening of her face as she looked at Loki.

Exiting her rooms, they headed towards the Bifrost.


	14. Chapter 14: Expedition

Chapter 14: Expedition

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Three horses had been waiting at the bridge to help speed them along. They quickly mounted, and galloped across the Bifrost bridge to the portal. The short journey gave Katirya a few minutes to compose her thoughts. The events in the gardens, and her rooms had surprised her somewhat. She knew Loki was interested in her, the comments she had overheard while changing had further confirmed that.

She considered her initial ambitions when she first came to Asgard. She _had _wanted one of the brothers for a husband. She had not thought through the entire idea, but it had been her intention to return to Cartherion with said husband to regain her rule. But to rule as queen of Asgard? That was more than she had anticipated. Then there were the depths of corruption within Cartherion. It was even worse than she had known. There were so many issues that needed to be dealt with.

Everything had changed, and that kiss in the garden had altered her perception of the entire situation. She had many decisions to make, but she knew she did desire Loki. He had ignited a passion within her she did not know existed.

The party that was to travel to Earth greeted them at the portal. Darcy stood in front, holding the book that held the clues she had discovered. Ian, Erik, and Jane were behind her. The Lady Sif and the Warriors Three rounded out the group. Three guards came out to grab the bridles of the horses, holding them while they dismounted. Landing lightly on her feet, Katirya looked directly at Jane, attempting to discern her mood.

Jane scowled when she saw Katirya's look, letting her know she was not happy that Katirya was joining them. She still felt it was not a good idea. Katirya shrugged it off, as Loki came up behind her, guiding her into the chamber.

Heimdall looked solemnly at the group as they entered. "Darcy has shown me where you wish to go. I will watch over you as I can, but you must be quick. There is little time."

"How soon until the Cartherions get here?" Thor asked, "and how many are coming?"

"It is a rather large party, and they are traveling by land. You have twelve hours at most."

"Okay, Darcy. You're the leader of this expedition. You've heard how much time we have."

Katirya wondered who was coming; she had not doubts that they intended to force her to return. She now knew that she could overcome most who might try; her only concern was if Thanos has joined forces for this attack.

Loki had been watching her face, reading her concerns. "Once we have the fourth Stone, they will have no chance."

"I hope you are right," she replied.

The travelers stepped into the portal and were whisked down to Earth. The landed in an open field, a gentle mist was coming down. The countryside was covered in a light fog. A rough road stretched off to their left, leading to a small cluster of buildings, including a pub.

"Why don't you guys stay here, and us four can go there and see if we can get a map and figure out exactly where we are," Darcy spoke up.

Thor looked askance at her. "Why can we not all go?"

"Well, you aren't exactly dressed right," she said with a smirk.

"Oh," Thor looked slightly puzzled, then realized that the four humans were dressed in their Earth clothes once more. "We shall wait here."

As the four headed towards the pub, Katirya took the time to look around. The emerald green countryside was very appealing, even with the damp mist. She began to feel some of the spirit of the country. She had spent some time talking with Darcy, trying to understand what Ireland was, and could easily sense the mystical history it had.

She closed her eyes for a few moments, "It is near here," she finally spoke.

Thor looked at her, "You are certain of this? Where?"

She shrugged, "I am not sure exactly where. Darcy mentioned something about 'stone circles', thinking it was hidden in one of these. She had a name for it, the one we are searching for. It is called Derreenataggart."

"Stone circle?" Sif spoke up, clearly curious about the concept.

"It is a magical reference. There are several in Cartherion, and many who use them for various magical rituals. The stones will…" Katirya paused, trying to think of the right words, "sort of _sing _during these rituals. If Darcy is correct, some of my ancestors came down here to this region. That would explain the fact that there are stone circles here."

"Ah, look," Thor pointed towards the pub, "they are returning. I do hope they found the information we need."

"They have changed clothing. Do you think they were not dressed correctly?" Fandral pointed out. The four returning each were wearing bright yellow coats, and Jane had an open umbrella.

Darcy started waving a paper as she neared them. "We are soooo lucky! Heimdall got us within, like, two miles of the place. The guy in the pub had a local map, listing all the historical sites, so he made a copy of it for me."

"Excellent, so which way do we go?" Thor asked.

Darcy opened up the map, and placed it next to the page of the book she had been using. "See, here. This is the one we are looking for," she tapped her finger on the spot in the book, "and if you look on this map, it corresponds exactly with this stone circle! I was pretty sure it was Derreenataggart, and it looks like I'm right."

"It looks like there should be a small road if that map is correct," Sif pointed to the map.

"Yes, the dude in the pub said there is a small road, up ahead on the right." Darcy grinned. "Let's get moving before it gets much wetter."

"Oh, while we were there, we got some raincoats and umbrellas," Jane opened a bag she was carrying. "Anyone want one?"

"What is this raincoat that you speak of?" Sif was curious.

"You put it on to keep dry," Jane pulled at the sleeve of the raincoat she had donned.

Sif's eyebrows rose, "Truly? These Irelanders are odd."

Jane laughed, "They are called Irishmen, or women, but everyone here on Earth uses them."

"It is just water, why worry about being wet?" Sif asked, "From the appearance of this Ireland, it would seem to rain often."

"Yes, it does rain a lot here," Jane replied.

Katirya shook her head at the offer of a raincoat, instead beginning to walk down the road. Loki moved to keep up with her, with the others falling into place behind.

They had walked for close to two miles when Katirya noticed an old man with two border collies walking ahead of them on the road. While they had all been walking silently, the group still made noise walking along the gravely road. The man had apparently heard them, for he turned and stopped, clearly waiting for them to catch up. The two dogs lay down at his feet quietly the moment he stopped.

Katirya and Loki were the first to reach him. "Good day, my lord," Katirya greeted him.

"Oooh, I'm no lord, missy, but good day to you none the less. Sean O'Sullivan at your service," he eyed the group, noting the differences in their dress, but saying nothing. "Going to my stone circle, are you?"

"Yes, we are," Katirya replied, "and I am Katirya, and these are my companions."

"Well, it is just up ahead," he lifted the cane he was carrying to point out a gate. "The sign is there, just go through the small gate, and it's a wee bit into the field. Just make sure you close the gate when you leave. Don't want my sheep running the roads," he laughed. One of the dogs whined, her tail wagging furiously as she looked up at Katirya. "Aye, Elizabeth, if the lady doesn't mind, you may greet her."

Katirya bent down to pet the dog. "She is quite lovely, and Elizabeth is a perfect name."

"Named her for that Hollywood movie star, Elizabeth Taylor," Sean chuckled, "and this one is Jessica, Jessica Lange. Not likely that you know of them," he glanced back at Jane and the other humans, "well, you folks probably have, but I doubt the rest of you do."

Katirya's eyes narrowed at that comment, "Why do you say that?" she continued to pet the dog.

"You're not from Earth. I've been waiting for you, course my grandfather didn't say as you would have such a crowd with you," he looked at each of the Asgardians, "and a Valkyrie, too!" focusing on Sif.

"I am no Valkyrie, my lord," Sif insisted, "I am a simple warrior."

"And I'm no lord," he cackled in returned, "but you ought to be. Look just like one I think. And I'll be betting you aren't just a simple warrior. Are you married?"

Sif looked slightly taken aback at that question, finally answering, "No, my lord. I am not."

"Well, I am surprised. Any one of these strapping young men would make a fine husband for you," he looked at Katirya, "and you as well."

"You said your grandfather told you I would come?" Katirya returned to that topic before he could pursue the idea of marrying them all off. She almost wondered if he would offer to do the ceremony himself.

"Aye, he did. Told me a story, a story that's been handed down for many a generation, that one day an enchantress would come to visit the stone circle. Some might call you a witch, but that term isn't always the best, so I go with enchantress, like a wizard. You're her, right? Said you'd be coming to pick something up."

Katirya laughed lightly. "Yes, I am."

Sean looked at her wistfully, "Sure wish I were younger, I'd marry you myself. But I'm keeping you from your purpose. I'd go with you, just to watch your magic, but my legs are tired, and it's time for tea. Just make sure you shut the gate," he reminded them as he started back down the road.

He walked about ten steps, then stopped and turned around. He stuck his hand in his pocket, pulling out some small cards. Walking back, he handed a card to each one. "I run a nice B&B, that's a bed and breakfast for those that don't know. Nice little cottages," he eyed Thor, Fandral, Loki, and Volstagg, "when you gents finally figure out who is going to marry these two," he gestured towards Sif and Katirya, "come on by for your honeymoon. Nice place to stay."

The four men exchanged looks, surprised at the man's comment. "I thank you for your kind offer," Loki spoke up as he read the card briefly.

Sean frowned for a second, staring at Loki. Finally reaching into another pocket, he pulled out a ring, and held it out to Loki, "It's my mother's claddagh ring," he looked at the two women, "I've a feeling you'll be needing it soon," with a snort of laughter, he turned, and walked away.

Loki looked at the ring, then turned a searing gaze on Katirya. She felt a flush suffuse her face at the intense look. Loki took one of her hands, and placed the ring on her ring finger, "I believe this belongs to you now."

Katirya looked at the ring, "It fits perfectly, interesting. I wonder how…" she looked at the retreating figure.

"Shall we?" Loki gestured towards the gate.

AUTHORS NOTE: _I have actually traveled to Ireland and visited Derreenataggart Stone Circle in County Cork. As I drove down a small, farm road in search of ancient sites, the meeting with the elderly man actually happened, including the two border collies named Elizabeth and Jessica. They really were named for Elizabeth Taylor and Jessica Lange. The day was a typical day in Ireland – misty rain for most of it, but we had a wonderful visit, and yes, he did ask if I was married! Unfortunately, I did not have four handsome men along with me, as I was traveling by myself. The Stone Circle is located on his farm, and all he asked was that you made sure the gate was closed so the sheep did not get out. I still have his business card, as he offered me a deal if I returned and stayed in his B&B. _


	15. Chapter 15: Dissemble

Chapter 15 Dissemble

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~ **_

Jane was a little irritated that the old man had basically ignored the humans, focusing solely on the Asgardians. As they entered the pasture, she spoke up, "Well that was odd."

"I think there is more to him than we know, unfortunately, we do not have time to figure it out. The Cartherion party will get to Asgard soon, and we need to have this Stone before they discover we have come down here," Katirya replied.

They hiked through the wet grass, the ground spongy but still firm despite the wetness. The fog became thicker as the mist turned into a gentle rain.

"Well, this rain could quit anytime now," Darcy was attempting to keep the map and book as dry as possible, having tucked them both inside her coat.

They spotted the stone circle, eight giant stones still standing with remnants of others lying near their original places.

"Oh what a shame this has been destroyed," Darcy wailed as she discovered that at least half the circle was no longer standing.

Katirya stooped to look at the first fallen stone, tracing her fingers over the stone. "It will not matter, I do not think. As long as I can read them all."

"Read them?" Jane looked at a large one still standing, "there is nothing on them."

Thor had followed Jane, so he inspected the stone standing before them. "I see nothing, either," peering at the face of the stone facing the center. "Are you certain?"

"I don't see anything either," Darcy piped up.

Loki smiled wryly, "I do not believe the markings are meant for just anyone to read, I can see faint tracings."

"There are markings on the face of all of them, and they are very faint," Katirya nodded at Loki, "they provide the instructions, hopefully it is to reveal the location of the Stone and not to summon some dark monster," Katirya replied as she moved from stone to stone. "Ach… this one," she kicked on with her toe, "can someone flip it over?"

Volstagg and Fandral quickly complied with her request, allowing her to read it.

"I think I have it," Katirya moved to the center of the circle, and faced the tall stone that Jane and Thor were standing by. "That is the beginning… and it goes around," she started to spin clockwise, pointing at each stone as she turned, "this way."

"So, what do you have to do?" Jane was fairly skeptical of the whole thing, especially since it seemed only two people could read them, two people she was beginning to think were in on some kind of mischief together. She suspected Katirya was simply stalling for time.

Katirya continued to spin in the center, as she faced the first stone once again, she started singing. Her voice was soft, and melodious, though the words were strange. She closed her eyes as she whirled around, no longer needing to read the stones, continuing to repeat the song, if it was a song as it sounded more like someone practicing their scales than a true song with words.

The fog became denser, and suddenly a strange glow began to emanate from the stones starting with the first one, and then moving from stone to stone. Katirya suddenly stopped, kneeling in front of the center stone in the middle of the circle. This stone was glowing the brightest of all of them. A crack suddenly appeared in the stone, and she reached in to retrieve a yellow object.

Katirya grinned, "I believe we have the Reality Stone!" holding it up for the others to see.

"Only half of it, missy," a strange voice came out of the fog, causing everyone to whirl. The Asgardians all pulled out their weapons, but Katirya just laughed aloud.

"Greiwaldt! I thought you were dead!" Still holding the stone, Katirya raced towards the strange old man that had appeared at the edge of the circle.

"Hardly. And it took you long enough to get here. Much longer and I really would have been dead," Greiwaldt snorted as he opened his arms as Katirya flung herself into them.

"I have missed you so!" Katirya exclaimed.

"Well, I had to leave," Greiwaldt said abruptly as he glanced at the others, "you can put your weapons down boys, I mean no harm. Been waiting for this girl to get here for years."

"Who are you?" Jane looked at him suspiciously.

"Greiwaldt, I thought she said that," Greiwaldt looked oddly at Jane. "Who are you? You are not of Asgard, you are of this realm."

"Well, that's obvious," Jane shot back, "I'm Jane Foster."

"Greiwaldt was my tutor in the magic arts that my mother could not teach me, although my mother did not know of him," Katirya explained. "He asked that I not tell her, and given all the secrets I had to keep, it did not seem unusual to do so."

"And seems a good thing I did," Greiwaldt spoke up, "I heard a bit of what happened. Surprised it took you so long to get down here."

"I did not know what to do when they killed, I mean pretended to kill my mother," Katirya answered, "I depended on her so much, I had figured her to help me once I acquired the Cronuth."

"Aye, you did," Greiwaldt nodded, "but you fooled them when you fled! They did not expect that, did they?"

"No, but what happened? Why did you leave?"

"Your mother started to figure out what I was up to, so I had to leave, but you managed. I see you have the Cronuth," he glanced at Thor and Loki, "and you brought the Mind Stone and Tesseract with you as well. Excellent. We should be able to find the rest of this one then."

"Yes, I did get the Cronuth. It went exactly as you said it was, I think even my mother was a bit surprised I was able to do it so easily," Katirya lightly touched her tiara.

"You're more powerful than they are, Kiri. That had to surprise them, doesn't me, I have a fair idea of what you are capable of, although I'll be betting you don't," Greiwaldt chuckled.

Katirya stared at the stone in her hands, then tucked it into a pouch on her belt. "Why is it split?"

"Who knows why it was, but it is," Greiwaldt shrugged.

"Well, we found it through this book," Darcy brought out the book she'd been protecting, but still kept it under cover of the umbrella Ian was holding for her.

Greiwaldt's eyes lit up. "Excellent! Most excellent," he walked to her, "let's see if we cannot find a clue."

"Darcy, do you really think that is a good idea?" Jane asked, she was leery of this newcomer.

Suddenly Katirya put her hands up to her ears, almost screaming, "What is that noise?"

"What noise?" Jane looked at her suspiciously, then saw that Katirya's eyes had turned a brilliant silver color. "Wait! What are you doing?"

Katirya crouched down crossing her arms over her chest, then burst up flinging her arms out wide, flashes of light exploded into the air to reveal three helijets with the name S.H.I.E.L.D. emblazoned on them.

"WHAT THE HELL?" Darcy exclaimed. "Where did they come from?"

The helijets were now hovering over the group in the stone circle. Voices could be heard emanating from one of them.

"Sir, we have lost cloaking ability," Hill's clipped tones announced.

"I can see that!" Fury shouted. "Get them back online, and how did it happen? Barton?"

"Yes sir?" Barton had his arrow trained on Loki. "I've got Loki targeted, sir."

"Loki, put down the scepter!" Fury's voice boomed.

Loki's eyes narrowed as he trained them on the helijet with Fury, but did not set the scepter down. Instead with catlike grace, he crossed through the stone circle, pausing by Thor. He whispered something to his brother. Thor nodded, then handed the Tesseract to him. Now carrying both the Tesseract and the scepter, Loki moved to stand next to Katirya.

"He has the Tesseract now, sir," Hill announced.

"I can SEE that," Fury growled. "Put this thing on the ground."

"How did they get here?" Erik pointed at the helijets as they started to land.

"I called them, back when we went to the pub," Jane answered smugly. "I didn't trust them," she pointed towards Katirya and Loki, "and I don't trust him either," she included Greiwaldt in her pronouncement. "They are after all the stones."

"Jane, I don't think that was a good idea," Erik muttered.

"Jane?" Thor moved to confront Jane. "Why?"

"I don't trust either one of them She has lied since we first met her, and your brother… " Jane paused, searching for words to describe what she thought of Loki, "he's tried to destroy Earth once before. If he gets his hands on all the Stones, who knows what he'll do."

"Jane," Thor put his hands on Jane's shoulders, "you simply do not understand."

Katirya, upon hearing Jane's admission, turned to focus on the woman.

Seeing her reaction, Loki spoke softly, "Kiri, no…" he wrapped his arms around her.

Katirya scowled at first, then accepted his decision.

The helijets landed, and Fury jumped out of one, flanked by several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents. They marched towards the group in the circle.

"Heimdall!" Thor shouted, "NOW would be a good time!"

The familiar roar and rainbow color began to appear around the group.

"STOP THEM!" Fury shouted, but it was too late as the group began to disappear.

As the Bifrost began to take the, Jane suddenly tore loose from Thor's arms, and launched herself at Katirya. Ramming into her, she knocked not only Katirya, but also Loki and Greiwaldt out of the Bifrost's portal. The four tumbled in the air for several seconds before landing in a pasture.

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor was the first to notice the four were missing. "Heimdall! What happened?"

"I am not exactly sure, but Jane pushed the three others out just after the transport began." Heimdall answered.

"Are they okay? Where are they?" Darcy asked, worried about her friend.

"The Bifrost held them for a few seconds before dropping them out, not far from where you were. Loki…"

"And Jane?" Thor interrupted; worried about her, the others he figured were more capable of surviving a fall from the Bifrost.

"Jane is fine. She was knocked unconscious. Loki used her device to contact Fury before he," Heimdall hesitated a moment, "disappeared. I can no longer see him."

"Is he dead?" Thor demanded, suddenly worried about his brother. "And what of the others?"

"I do not believe so. Loki is capable of hiding from me," Heimdall admitted, "he has done it in the past. I would imagine the others could as well, given their capabilities."

"You've got to bring Jane up here," Thor insisted.

"That I cannot do. It would require one of you to return for her," Heimdall replied.

"Then I shall go. Send me back at once!" Thor insisted.

"Unfortunately, with Loki gone from Asgard, you must be here to meet the Cartherions. They are almost here."

"How close?" Thor demanded to know; frustrated that Heimdall could not simply bring Jane up or send him down.

"They are about to enter the city."

Thor gritted his teeth, knowing Heimdall was right. "We must go to the city, and deal with them. As soon as I am done with them, I will return to Earth for Jane. Darcy, you three are to remain here. Heimdall, if anything happens, send them back no matter what. And keep trying to find Loki."

Heimdall nodded.

"What? What might happen? Thor?" Darcy cried out.

"This might not go well, especially as Katirya is not here right now. If things go wrong, I want Heimdall to return you to Earth where you will be safer," Thor explained.

As Thor left the room to return to the city, he overheard Erik's last comment, "Jane, what have you started?"


	16. Chapter 16: Separation

Chapter 16: Separation

~ß~ Katirya ~ß~

Katirya hit the ground hard, feeling the wind knocked out of her body. She lay there for a few moments before finally rolling over to see who had also been part of this debacle. From her position, she could see Greiwaldt slowly sitting up. She observed Loki rise gracefully, and then offer a hand to Greiwaldt. Jane lay unconscious a few yards away.

"What happened?" She asked as she rose, brushing some dirt off her skirts.

"It would appear that Jane decided to stop us from returning to Asgard," Loki moved over at the prone figure as he spoke. Bending down, he checked for a pulse. "She is still alive."

Jane's cell phone started making an obnoxious noise. If it was music, Katirya decided she did not like it.

Greiwaldt scowled, "Foolish device. Pick it up, and push one of those buttons to make it stop."

Loki did as instructed, an action which permitted Fury's voice to boom out from the tiny device, "JANE! Where the hell are you?"

Loki held the phone away from his face, giving it a perplexed look before finally answering, "She is right here. You might want to come help her, she's been knocked unconscious."

"Loki? Is that you?" Fury shouted. "You wait right there!"

Loki ignored him, tossing the phone down next to Jane. "Right! Like I am going to sit around here, waiting for him. We need to leave, before they arrive. Heim…"

Katirya stopped him, "No! We have to find the rest of this Stone before we return."

Greiwaldt nodded, "She is right. Without it, you only have the three. It is worthless without the other part."

"Darcy is gone, back to Asgard. How can we find it? She has the book." Loki asked.

Katirya shrugged, "I can sense it, so I think I can use the three we have. But won't Heimdall try to bring us back?"

"Only if he can find us," Loki grinned. "Hide your mind from him, he hates when I do that. It does irritate him so."

Katirya laughed. "Really?"

Heavy footsteps alerted her to the arrival of Fury and his group.

"Time to go!" Katirya took off across the pasture towards a gate, casting an illusion that hid them from view of the humans. They reached the road, and turned to the right. Once they were far enough away from where they had left Jane, she paused. "Where should we go?"

Greiwaldt answered quickly, "To O'Sullivan's place. He knows me; we will be safe with him. Give us some time to figure out how to find the rest of the stone."

Loki nodded, "If you are certain we can trust him."

"Yes, he has harbored me from time to time," Greiwaldt assured him, "and we've enjoyed a pint or two at the local pub together."

The three started down the road. The rain had stopped, and the sun was trying to break through the clouds. They reached the top of a hill, and from the vantage point, Katirya was able to spot several farms dotting the countryside, and a larger town off in the distance.

"What does Thor see in her?" Katirya finally asked as they walked along.

"I do not know. I think part of it comes from when Odin banished him to Earth, without his hammer or his powers," Loki responded. "From what Thor told me of his time here, she was the first person he ran into, or rather, that ran into him. Seems she hit him with a vehicle."

"So, she helped him. Perhaps he feels a sort of obligation to her?" Katirya ventured.

"Perhaps. He never really confided in me."

~œ~ Jane ~œ~

Jane moaned, feeling as if a truck had just hit her. Hearing voices, she opened her eyes, but saw no one. She tried to remember what had happened. Who was talking?

"Time to go!"

Hearing the voice, she sat up, but could still see no one. Who had said that? Blinking, her memory finally started to return. "Thor?"

Seconds later, Fury and his group stormed into the pasture. "Jane! Where are the others? What the hell happened?"

"I don't know. I heard someone…" she paused, "pretty sure it was Katirya's voice I heard."

" And Loki, he answered your cell phone," Fury saw the phone. Picking it up, he noticed it was still on. "Damn! Where did they go? Spread out! Find him!"

At his command, the agents took off in various directions, searching for Loki.

"They won't find him…" Jane spoke up, "or her."

"Who is she?" Fury asked.

"She claims to be some queen. If you thought Loki was bad, she makes him look tame by comparison." Jane quickly brought Fury up to date on what had happened.

"So, they are looking for more things like the Tesseract? Are they mad?"

"Yes, they have three with them, plus the partial one they just found back there. Knowing both of them, they won't go back to Asgard until they find it," Jane suddenly remembered one detail. "Darcy? Did she go with Thor or is she still back there?"

"I think she was still with Thor, when that thing started to whisk you guys away, the you went and knocked Loki and the woman out of it. Might have hit one more, I'm not sure." Fury replied. "Good move by the way."

"Sir?" a returning agent spoke up, "we found signs of three people heading through the gate, but then the trail disappeared once they hit the road. Can't see any signs of them on the pavement."

"Sounds like Loki, and this woman you're talking about, were knocked out of that rainbow thing when you attacked them, and are heading towards town now," Fury considered the options. "Castletownbere isn't far from here. We'll head there first. Who would be the third person?"

"Greiwaldt," Jane offered the name, "he's her mentor."

"Well, we'll find them, and that will be the end of it." Fury spoke confidently.

"I hope so," Jane replied grimly.

~∫ Thor ∫~

Thor watched as a cadre of the city guards escorted the Cartherion party into the throne room. He was quick to notice that the guards had relieved them of any weapons they might have been carrying. Seated upon the throne, he stared down at them angrily. Right now, he wanted to be back down on Earth, making sure Jane was unhurt, and figuring out why she had called Fury in the first place. His temper was very short.

Lady Sif and the Warriors Three stood at the base of the throne, staring at the group. Micarian slipped in through a side door, opened his mouth only to be silenced by a glare from Thor.

The guards led the party to the foot of the throne. One man stepped forward. His garments were more ornate than the rest of the group, indicating he was most likely the leader. Thor figured he was also part of the Council he had heard so much about.

The man stared at Thor derisively "What? Has your brother taken off and left you to play king? Or is he afraid of me?"

"My brother is busy, what do you want?" Thor snapped back.

"We are here to arrest the traitor, Katirya, whom you are hiding," the man demanded.

"Katirya is not here, and even if she were, I would not give her over to you," Thor scowled at the man, "and now she is considered a traitor? Which story ought I to believe? This is… what… The third one?"

"Well, has she taken off again? Spirited your brother away with promises of …"

Thor cut him off mid-sentence, "I have no time to bother with you. Be off. Go home!"

"Not without the traitor!" The man demanded.

Thor wasn't happy with having to deal with them, "Who exactly are you?"

"I am Hadriath. Althanas returned to Cartherion with news that she has murdered my son, Mythean. I demand you hand her over immediately. She must return, and answer for her crimes."

"Even if she were here, I would not do that," Thor replied, "Your son attempted to kill Katirya. She was only defending herself. I saw it for myself."

"Well, if she wouldn't have turned him into one of the Thirteen, he wouldn't have had to do that," Hadriath replied peevishly.

"Truly? Is that what you believe?" Thor sighed heavily, wondering where Loki was. He really wished his brother were here right now to deal with this. This was precisely the reason he had chosen not to be king.

"If you do not turn over the traitor, Katirya, I will not be responsible for the actions of Cartherion. There was talk in the Council when I left of waging war upon Asgard for this action. I have been sent with the papers requesting the return of Katirya," Hadriath stepped forward, waving a paper in front of Thor.

Fandral grabbed the paper, and quickly scanned it, "It does say as much," he reported to Thor, a cheeky grin on his face. "Shall we dust off the weapons? I've been looking forward to a good fight."

"It seems we must, since I am not able to comply with their request."

Hadriath exchanged a quick glance with another in the party, clearly not expecting this attitude. "All you have to do is turn her over to us, that will avoid any need for war," he finally said.

"And at the risk of repeating myself, I cannot do that. She is not here."

"Then where is she? We will go and find her ourselves."

Thor laughed, "Good luck with that."

"What do you mean? Where is she?" Hadriath demanded.

"I do not know. Now if you will excuse me, go on back, tell your Council we do not know where she is. Send your war if you wish, but you are not getting Katirya on this trip!" Thor shouted.

"Well!" Hadriath puffed up his chest. "I will, indeed, let the Council know of your decision. You will be sorry for this."

"Guards!" Thor roared, "Escort them to the borders at once!"


	17. Chapter 17: Dispositions

Chapter 17: Dispositions

"_Faith…is the art of holding on to things your reason once accepted, despite your changing moods." - C.S. Lewis_

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

"I am actually finding myself wishing for Loki to appear," Sif whispered to Fandral.

Fandral threw back his head, and laughed, "I quite agree. He is rather grumpy, isn't he?"

They looked at Thor, who still sat upon the throne, a scowl upon his face.

Thor hearing the laugh, scowled even harder, "What is so funny?"

"Nothing, we were just…" Sif stammered.

"Just commenting on how quickly they seem to change their story," Fandral finished for her, noticing Sif smiled in relief at his quick response.

"Aye, they do. They want Katirya badly," Thor let out a big sigh.

"So, shall we ready for battle?" Fandral looked hopeful.

"No… yes… I do not know!" Thor was flustered. "Let us go see if Heimdall has found them yet."

They headed out to the Bifrost, soon reentering the chamber. The trip out there had given Thor some time to think, considering his options. He truly missed his brother right now, or Odin. Odin would have known what to do. He just didn't want to make the wrong choice.

"Heimdall!" Thor's shout reverberated in the chamber as they entered, startling Darcy, Ian and Erik who were half asleep.

"Thor!" Darcy jumped up.

"I still cannot find them," Heimdall answered before Thor could even ask.

"Damn! Where is my brother?" Thor's question was rhetorical, and he knew it, but he felt he needed to voice it. He looked at the group in the chamber. "Until we can find Loki or Katirya, I cannot leave Asgard, at least not until the threat from Cartherion is dealt with. Fandral?"

"Yes?" Fandral stepped forward, his hand dropping to his sword.

"You are to follow the Cartherions. See if you can learn anything."

"With pleasure!" Fandral grinned.

"Sif? I need you and Volstagg to go and visit the Collector, but you'll need to be very careful," Thor quickly outlined a plan he'd come up with.

"I like it," Sif smiled. "It is devious, but might just work."

"Hogun? You are to return to Earth. See if you can find Loki or Katirya," Thor focused on the three humans, "Darcy, Ian and Erik, it is your choice to return or remain here in Asgard. The city is safe for the moment."

"Well, um, like, I'm really sorry Jane went and did what she did, you know, causing Loki and Katirya to get stuck on Earth," Darcy spoke up, "but I think I know where she is coming from. I mean, she is like, a scientist and all, and to her, everything is like black and white."

"Darcy is right," Erik added, "Jane sees things in simple forms, not realizing how complex your brother or Katirya are. Much as I would like to remain here, I think I need to go down and speak with her."

"That's cool, then Ian and I can stay here, see if we can discover anything else about these Stones," Darcy said, "I'm sure once Jane realizes what she did…"

Thor cut her off, "Erik, you will always be welcome here. I know my brother allowed all three of you to remain for an extended period, I feel he would not question my allowing you permission to visit whenever you desire. Darcy, your aid will be most appreciated."

"Thor," Erik spoke quietly, "I believe your brother allowed us to stay in hopes that Jane might feel more comfortable remaining here."

Thor nodded, "You are probably correct, but none the less, you are welcome here for as long or as often as you wish to visit."

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~ **_

Jane sat across from Fury at the table in the pub, tapping her fingers randomly on the tabletop.

After the search teams had all returned empty handed, Fury had designated one group to remain in the vicinity of the stone circle with one of the helijets. The other two helijets he'd sent off to the nearby town of Castletownbere, then he and Jane had hiked back towards the small gas station she'd gotten directions from. Once there, they'd made arrangements to rent a small car, driving to a local pub.

"So, do you think Thor will return soon?" Fury asked after they had ordered a meal.

"I don't know, I hope so," Jane replied despondently. She looked around the room. Most of the patrons were either fishermen, or farmers having dinner.

Their food arrived, and Jane toyed with the sandwich. Picking at it, she tore a piece of the bread off, then set it down.

"You did right by calling me. With Loki alive, he needs to answer for his crimes," Fury reassured her.

"It's not that, I…" Jane pulled the meat out of her sandwich, staring at it, "I don't know. This Katirya, she wants those Stones."

"Tell me about the Stones. Why are they so important to her and Loki?"

"Darcy could tell you more about that, but they give the person who controls them immense power. Katirya has said she is looking for them. She keeps talking about this other guy, but I don't believe her. I think she wants them for herself."

A sudden rumble, sounding like thunder, caused the pub to go silent. Jane jumped up, racing to the door. A rainbow-like light appeared, and suddenly a person was standing at the end of the street.

"THOR!" Jane screamed in relief, racing out the door. She stopped dead when she discovered it wasn't Thor, but Hogun and Erik. Her shoulders slumped. "Where's Thor?"

Hogun strode up to her, "He remains in Asgard. He cannot leave until we find Loki. Where is Loki?"

"I don't know," Jane wailed in frustration, "he's disappeared, along with that Katirya."

"Jane… Jane… Jane…" Erik spoke quietly, "what have you done?"

"I didn't do anything! It's all her fault!" Jane snapped back.

"Katirya's?" Erik put his hands on Jane's shoulders. "Jane, you have to accept the fact that…"

"She wants the stones for herself," Jane retorted, "she as much as admitted it to me."

"I thought you two were starting to get along."

"Get along? Seriously? The woman is mad. Her parents even said so."

"Jane, really. What is wrong with you? I've never seen you act like this before."

"Don't go telling me you _like _her?" Jane stared at Erik, "and why can't Thor come down here? He could probably find Loki."

"Thor cannot come because the Cartherions have threatened war on Asgard. Asgard needs a king to lead it if it should come to battle," Hogun spoke up.

"See!" Jane was quick to pick up on the part about the Cartherions, "it is her fault!"

"Jane, it doesn't matter whose fault it is. The problem is, Thor cannot leave Asgard right now. Not until we find Loki."

"And when you find Loki, he's mine," Fury said coldly.

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki, Katirya, and Greiwaldt reached Sean O'Sullivan's place after walking for twenty minutes. There was one large house, with six small cottages off to the right. To the left stood a large barn, with a flock of sheep in small pasture behind it. As they headed for the main house, Katirya dropped the illusion, allowing them to be visible once more. The front door opened as they approached, and Sean stepped out onto the porch, both his dogs following him.

Sean looked at Katirya, and started chuckling, "You've got some leaves in your hair, lass."

"Oh," Katirya touched her head, dislodging the leaves, "thanks. Must have happened when Jane knocked us out of the Bifrost."

"Bifrost?" Sean looked perplexed.

"Our…" Loki paused, trying to think how best to explain what the Bifrost was, "portal back home."

Sean nodded. "Greiwaldt explained a bit about the other realms. I honestly wouldn't have believed him if it weren't for the tale that's been told from father to son, for … " he scratched his head, thinking, "must be nigh on seventeen hundred years. I thought it was just a legend, until Greiwaldt showed up."

"What exactly is this tale?" Katirya asked.

In the distance, a whir of an engine announced one of the helijets starting up. All four turned to look in that direction.

"Why don't we discuss this inside?" Sean suggested. "I get the impression that you had some unexpected visitors."

"Yes, we did," Loki replied, "and that sounds like a good idea."

They followed Sean into his house. He led the way back towards the kitchen. He motioned for them to take seats at the large table, then turned to the stove. Opening the oven, he pulled out three loaves of freshly baked brown bread. Setting them on a cooling rack, he checked a large pot that was simmering. The instant he removed the top, the aroma of beef stew wafted through the room. Filling a teakettle with water, he placed it on one of the burners, then asked, "Tea okay? I don't have much coffee. Keep it for the Americans, when they visit. And I think there is enough stew to feed all of us."

Katirya had closed her eyes, inhaling the aroma of the stew, then sighed. "It smells delicious! Is there anything we can do to help?"

Sean chuckled. "Hungry are you? Well, dinner is about ready. If you want to set the table, dishes are in that cabinet," he pointed out the appropriate one, then went on, "we can talk after dinner. Never good to start a story on an empty stomach."

Katirya began to set the table, while Sean finished cooking. Soon, the meal was set upon the table, and they ate in relative silence. As they finished up, Sean quickly rinsed all the dishes, then placed them in a dishwasher. "Best thing I ever got," he tapped the door shut. "If I have all the cottages filled, makes for a quick clean up."

Sean filled a plate with slices of cheese and apples, bringing it over to the table, then sitting down. "Sorry, I don't have much for dessert…"

"No, it's perfect!" Katirya exclaimed.

Sean smiled at her, "Thanks. Now, about that tale," he continued to look at Katirya as he spoke. "Did you find what you were looking for?"

Katirya glanced at Loki, who nodded his assent, "Sort of. We found part of it. Greiwaldt says the other half is still hidden."

"Funny," Sean was shaking his head slightly, "see, this tale said as it would be a woman who would arrive. My father told it to me. I thought it was all just a legend, until he showed up," he nodded towards Greiwaldt.

"A woman? It was that specific?" Loki inquired.

"Aye, a woman. My father said that a great druid hid a valuable artifact in the stone circle. Now, the druids were here over seventeen hundred years ago, like I was saying outside. And this story has been passed on to each person who has lived on this land since then. The druid charged the man who lived here to watch over the stone circle. He said one day a druidess would return for it. Druidesses were also known as wise women, or seers. After the Romans invaded, these druids became known more as wizards and witches. Witches don't exactly have good reputations anymore, which is why I referred to you as an enchantress back on the road. Sounds better."

Loki's eyes darted quickly to Katirya when Sean said that a druidess was also known as a seer. He remembered her explanation about the people of Cartherion, the Seers and the Creators. "Kiri, it seemed very plausible that the druid was a Cartherion, does it not?"

She nodded, "It definitely does, but I wonder how he knew it would be a woman? And not all Seers are women, but it does tend to be more of a female trait, now that I think of it."

"So all he said was to watch over the stone circle?" Loki asked, finding it rather odd that there were no further instructions, especially considering the fact that only half the Stone was there.

"Yes, just watch over the circle, make sure it was never completely destroyed. Said there were instructions for retrieving the artifact on it, that he wrote it himself so you could find it," Sean focused on Katirya, "were there instructions? I've looked at the stones thousands of times, and never saw a thing."

Katirya nodded, "At least for retrieving the one piece. I wonder… we didn't have time to look closer, but there might have been more, telling us where to find the other half."

"Wouldn't you have seen them?" Loki asked.

Katirya shrugged. "I would have thought so. But it's an idea. Maybe we can head back there and look?"

"I do not think that is a good idea," Greiwaldt spoke up, "at least, not right now. I'm betting Jane's friends have someone guarding it right now."

"Tell you what," Sean spoke up, "in the morning, we can move my sheep to that field. Time to change their pasture anyway."

"That sounds like a plan," Greiwaldt agreed.

"Do you mind, telling me what happened back there? Who are these folks in that helicopter thing?" Sean expressed his curiosity.

"My brother's friend, Jane, decided to call a few of her friends. Friends that do not exactly like me," Loki began.

Katirya giggled, her eyes dancing with mischief as she looked at Loki. "They came to arrest him I think," pointing to Loki. "He, um, caused a minor disturbance a bit ago. Made rather a mess of some place called New York."

"New York?" Sean snorted with laughter as he slapped the table, "I remember that now! Some aliens got turned loose on the city, right?"

Katirya nodded.

"Personally," Sean confided, "I don't think it made it any worse than it already was. So, that's who is here then? In those funny helicopters?"

"It is a group called S.H.I.E.L.D.," Loki explained.

"How did you get the aliens down here?" Sean asked.

"The Tesseract," Katirya brought it out, and set it upon the table, "This is another of the artifacts, like the piece we found," reaching into the pouch on her belt, she pulled out the partial Stone they had recovered from the stone circle, "this is the one we need to find the rest of."

"What are these artifacts?" Sean examined the two Stones.

"Someone wants them, as they are extremely powerful. If he get his hands on them, the universe, as we know it, will be destroyed," Loki spoke quietly, briefly recalling his visits with the Chitauri.

"Well, then," Sean set the two Stones back on the table, where Katirya quickly retrieved them, "it seems we have our work cut out for us. This S.H.I.E.L.D. fellow, and your friend Jane, do you think they will hang around looking for you or leave?"

"Not my friend, Jane," Loki was quick to correct Sean, "my brother's friend, but knowing what I do of both of them, they will stick around here until they find me, and Katirya."

"That adds a wrench to things," Sean scratched his chin, "Greiwaldt? Why don't you and I take a stroll down to the pub now? See if we can learn anything?"

Greiwaldt grinned, "That sounds like a good idea to me. Loki, you and Katirya best lay low."

"Best to get a good night's rest, and first thing in the morning we can head over to the stone circle. All my cottages are empty right now, except the one Greiwaldt's been using, so you two go ahead and use them. Breakfast is at eight o'clock."

"An excellent suggestion," Loki stood, and pulled the chair out for Katirya. She rose gracefully, accepting his arm as they prepared to depart. "Greiwaldt, which cottage are you using?"

"The second one," Greiwaldt replied.

The couple left the kitchen, heading out of doors. The clouds had finally dispersed, allowing the moon to shine down. "So, which cottage do you prefer?" Loki asked.

"Hmmm," Katirya scanned the tiny buildings, "they are all so cute. Maybe… that one," she pointed to the fourth one.

He slid his arm about her waist as he guided her towards her choice. "An excellent choice, my lady. I think you shall find the finest linens awaiting your pretty head. There is even a fine view of the sheep from the front door."

Katirya laughed as his extravagant description. "And which one will you choose?" she gave him a flirtatious look as they reached the cottage.

"Well…" he looked down into her eyes. The moonlight was reflected in them, and her lips simply begged to be kissed. He pulled her closer, bent his head and kissed her. She lifted her face, moving closer to him. His hand moved to touch the necklace she wore, as he deepened the kiss, demanding more. He felt her tremble as his hand brushed lightly along her neck. With his other hand, he reached back and slowly opened the door.


	18. Chapter 18: Misplaced & Discovered

Chapter 18: Misplaced and Discovered

"_Legend tells us one thing; history, another. But, every now and then, we find something that belongs to both._"

―Nick Fury

_**~œ~ Jane ~œ~**_

A crowd had started to gather around Jane and the others, many staring at Hogun, as he was dressed differently. A few started to point, and whisper at him.

Hogun paid no attention to them, instead speaking directly to Jane, his tone demanding, "Where was the last place you saw Loki?"

"I didn't see him, but Director Fury spoke to him on my cell phone," Jane pulled the phone out of her pocket, staring at it, "not like that will help any."

"What is this cell phone?" Hogun stared at the device, "can you speak to him again? I need to find him at once."

"No, I cannot_ just _speak to him. He used it, answered it, Fury was trying to find me. It is a communication device." she held it up to her face, "like this, but he has to have one too, and he does not."

"Thor has sent me to find him and Katirya."

Really," Jane commented sarcastically, "and why didn't Thor just come himself to find his brother?"

"With war imminent, Asgard must have a king. Thor stands in Loki's place until he returns, unless he has died. He is still alive, yes?"

"We believe so," Fury said, "As she said, I did speak to him on her phone, and we found evidence that three people departed the field where we found Jane. My agents have been unable to locate him since."

"Heimdall cannot see him either," Hogun sighed, "he has hidden himself from everyone."

"What about the other two? Can Heimdall see them? Katirya and that mentor of hers?" Jane asked.

Hogun shook his head, "No, he cannot see them either. That is why I am here, to try to find him. Clearly they are still searching for the remaining portion of the Stone," he looked at Jane, "where did you end up, when you pushed them out of the Bifrost? I shall start my search there."

"Well, the field I fell into was about a mile west of that stone circle."

"I shall go to the stone circle then, and head west. Perhaps I shall find them."

As Hogun marched resolutely away, Fury got on his radio to warn his team out at the stone circle, "Boys, you've got incoming. Let me know if he finds any sign of Loki."

"Roger!" the crisp reply crackled back.

"I cannot believe that Thor has to stay there," Jane clenched her fists in frustration. "Why can't he come down and find his brother?"

"Jane, didn't you just hear Hogun? War is possible, someone has to be there, and with Loki missing…"

"Missing? More like hiding. And the war is all because of her," Jane rolled her eyes, and stormed back into the pub. Plopping herself back down at their table, she picked up her sandwich once more, staring at it with disgust.

"Hiding or missing, they still need to find him," Erik had followed Jane into the pub. Sitting down across from her, "What is it, Jane? I've never seen you quite like this."

Slamming the sandwich down on the plate, she stared back at him, saying nothing.

Fury returned to his seat. "Maybe that dude can find him. He's one of Thor's guys, right?"

"Yes, that is Hogun, one of the Warriors Three," Erik offered the information. "He is one of Thor's most trusted friends."

Jane glanced towards the door, and noticed two men entering, "Isn't that the man we met on the road earlier? Before we found that stupid part of the stone? The one with the two dogs?"

Erik turned so he could see, "It might be, why?"

"Well, he seemed to know them. I mean, it was like he knew that they were coming."

"So he knew them?" Fury's ears had perked up at that comment.

"Not exactly, just said there was some legend that they would show up one day. Pointed us in the direction of the stone circle. That's where we found the relic. Pretty much ignored the rest of us, didn't he Erik?"

"Well, I wouldn't say that he ignored us, just seemed more interested in the Asgardians, and talking about his dogs."

"Maybe he knows where they went?" Jane rose, moving to intercept them.

"Jane! Wait," Erik put a hand on her arm, "haven't you done enough? Just let Director Fury look for them."

Jane shook his hand off, and maneuvered through the crowded tables to try to intercept the two men. A waitress came out of the kitchens with a laden tray, getting in Jane's way. While Jane was waiting for the woman to move out of her way, she heard a few of the patrons begin talking to the two men.

"Sean! Bit late tonight, aren't you?"

"Heard there was a bit of a ruckus up at your pasture this afternoon!"

"Aye, some of them helicopter things, still there too," Sean was clearly enjoying being the center of attention. Settling down at one of the tables, he quickly ordered a beer for himself and his companion.

"Who was it? Some escaped prisoners?"

"Don't rightly know, they didn't exactly tell me anything."

"I hear they're still looking for them, fact some of them are here," one man pointed in the direction of the table where Fury and Erik were seated.

Sean eyed the table, staring for a moment before returning to the conversation around him.

"You staying at Sean's B&B?" one man spoke directly to Sean's companion.

"Aye, got me a few tourists, for a change," Sean spoke up before his companion could answer. "This be Graham Greywald, from New York; and got a couple on their honeymoon. We decided to head down here to give them a bit of privacy."

The bawdy laughter at the table drowned out any other comments. Jane finally made it through, walking brazenly up to Sean. "Hi, remember me? We met this afternoon on the road?"

Sean looked at her, taking a sip of his beer as he nodded, "I think so…"

"You knew who those people were that I was with, didn't you? Where did they go?"

"Well, I didn't exactly know them. First time I ever set eyes on them, so can't rightly say as to where they went," Sean set his beer down, "besides, I went straight back to my place, you were still with them when I left. I would think you ought to know where they went, better than I would."

"They disappeared," Jane conveniently left out her part in their disappearance.

"Disappeared? All of them?" Sean looked at her, "how come you're still here?"

"I, uh…" Jane stammered, "just two of them disappeared. The rest went home."

"Well, maybe they all went home?"

Several men at the table started to laugh.

Frustrated, Jane returned to her seat. Throwing herself back into her chair, she blew out a huff of breath, and muttered, "That was a waste of time."

"So you think Loki and this woman are trying to collect all the relics? What exactly do they do?" Fury asked.

Jane remained silent, pushing her sandwich away. Erik looked at her curiously, then responded to Fury, "From what I could gather, they each have different powers. The Tesseract was, rather is, one of them. There are six, and we both know how powerful the Tesseract was, so just imagine all six together."

Fury's cell phone went off. Answering it, he listened for a few moments then barked, "Just keep an eye on him. Got it? If he goes anywhere, follow him," shutting the phone off, "your friend made it out to the stone circle. Let's hope he can figure out where Loki went. My men are on it, so if you are finished with your dinner, I got us some rooms at the hotel in town here. We can get some rest. They'll let us know if something happens."

"I'm finished," Jane stood, taking one last look towards Sean as they left the pub.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya sighed, snuggling closer to Loki. Slowly opening first one eye, then the other, she discovered he was watching her.

"Good morning," his kissed the top of her head.

"Is it morning?" she kicked her feet, trying to untangle the sheets that were loosely covering them.

"Yes, and breakfast is at eight."

A rooster crowed outside. She turned towards the window, noticing the sunlight beginning to stream in, a contented smile on her face. Rising, she looked at the floor. Her clothes were strewn in a trail from the door of the cottage to the bedroom. Sighing, she leaned over the side of the bed, and picked up the closest item, a stocking.

Closing one eye, she stared at the trail once again, noticing that it was only her clothing. "Where…?" She turned to look at Loki.

He simply grinned at her. Her eyes focused on the chair next to the bed. His clothing lay neatly folded upon it.

"How…?" She sat up, pointing at the clothes.

He pulled her down on top of his body, then rolled over to stare down at her, causing the sheets to entangle them even further. "Yours is not to question."

"Really? No fair!"

"Trust me, I shall enjoy the pleasure of watching you retrieve each item."

Her eyes flashed, she slid out from underneath him, "Really!"

"Really," he sat up, reclining against the headrest, as he prepared to watch her dress.

She sat on the edge of the bed, pulling the stocking on. Standing, she moved to the next article, her chemise. Pulling it over her head, she continued dressing until she was finally fully clothed, except for one shoe. "Where is my shoe?"

He grinned at her mischievously, "You'll have to find it."

"You are incorrigible!" she moved towards the bed. At the last moment, she darted around towards the chair that held his clothes, and attempted to grab them.

His hand caught her wrist, "Oh, no you don't!"

"What? Afraid?" her eyes teased him.

"Hardly," he pulled her back down to the bed. She ended up sitting on his lap, with his arms around her. He kissed her, a hard, demanding kiss. Her arms wound around his neck as she returned the kiss. As he pulled away, she closed her eyes and sighed.

"Ah, Kiri. You are tempting me to skip breakfast, but I fear I am hungry."

Her eyes flashed open. "Hungry?"

"You kept me up half the night," he playfully slapped her bottom.

"Me? You started it," she shot back.

"I did not hear any complaints."

Katirya smiled, "True…"

A knock sounded on the door. "Breakfast in ten minutes! And I got some news for you two."

Katirya's eyes flew to the door, the realization that Sean knew they'd spent the night together… which meant that Greiwaldt knew!

Loki laughed at her look. "Did you expect otherwise?"

"I … I didn't think…"

Loki stopped the rest of her sentence with another kiss.

"Hmmm," she leaned into him.

"Yes, hmmm. And I would love to continue this, but I fear if we do, they might bring breakfast here."

"OH!" She squealed, jumping up.

He laughed heartily at that. "Trust me, they are not going to be upset," reaching over to his clothes, he tossed the sheets off, and began to dress.

Katirya eyed him speculatively as he retrieved his neatly folded clothes.

Loki caught her look, "Sorry, not telling. You'll just have to stay awake next time to find out."

Once he was fully clothed, he reached under the bed, and retrieved her missing shoe. "This what you were looking for?"

"Yes!" She grabbed it out of his hand, and put it on.

They left the cottage, walking to the main house. Entering the kitchen, they discovered both men waiting on them.

"Sleep well?" Greiwaldt asked with a wide grin.

"No," Loki pulled Katirya into his arms possessively.

Katirya blushed furiously as the two older men laughed.

"Do I need to call the preacher?" Sean grinned at the couple.

"A bit late for that, and we do things a bit differently in Asgard; however, you must attend the celebration."

"Differently? Celebration?" Katirya looked perplexed.

"Yes, celebration. You shall make a most excellent queen. Thor was right."

"Thor?"

"My brother, you know, the tall, blond one? With the hammer?" Loki teased her.

"I know who he is, but what was he right about?"

"Are you always this maddening? He advised me that I should make you my queen, he was right. Unless you have any problems with that?"

"Queen? Oh! Well, if you insist."

"I insist," he pulled her into his arms, kissing her soundly, breaking off only when the two older men began to applaud. As he released her, he noted she was blushing once again.

"Well, now that that is decided, breakfast is ready," Sean announced, setting a platter of freshly baked bread on the table. "We've got bacon, eggs, and some fresh fruit."

The food was quickly devoured, and as they washed the last of the bread down with tea, Katirya suddenly set her cup down with a clatter. "I know where it is!"

"What?" all three turned to stare at her. "Where?"

"There!" she pointed up at a picture hanging on the wall, "how long have you had that painting? And more importantly, where is it? I mean, where is the place? Is it near?"

"Bonane, it's the ring fort there. It's another ancient site, like my stone circle. Picture has been here forever," Sean replied, but how do you know the relic is there

"It's written on the painting," she stepped over to the painting, and lightly traced the edges. Words began to glow where she had touched the canvas. "See!"

"Well, I'll be…" Sean muttered, scratching his chin.

"You know where this is?"

Sean nodded, "About an hour away, maybe two by car."

Katirya whirled to face Loki, "We have to get there right away."

"How can we get there?" Loki asked. "We can't use the Bifrost or Heimdall will find us. And if we use the Tesseract, someone else might find us."

"If my car were working, I'd take you there. Let me call Bobby, he rents his out from time to time," Sean made the call, setting the phone down with a frown, "Seems your friend Mr. Fury has beat us to it. He's gone, and rented the car."

Loki and Katirya exchanged a glance, and nodded. Leaning over, Katirya whispered their idea to the two older men.

"Oh, lord. I don't think Asgard is ready for the pair of you," Greiwaldt snickered.


	19. Chapter 19: Folly

Chapter 19: Folly

_**~§~ Lady Sif ~§~**_

Taneleer Tivan, The Collector. The name was as strange as the man they were seeking. Sif and Volstagg stared at the girl standing before them. She had short, white hair, cut in an angular style. Her face was painted almost white, making her red lips stand out. The white dress she wore was a combination of sharp points. She stood facing them, her hands folded as if in prayer, with her elbows jutting out, adding yet another angular dimension.

"He will see you now," her clipped voice finally stated. Without waiting to see if they followed, she turned and walked down the hallway. Her tiny, measured steps were precisely placed every six inches, making progress slow.

Sif and Volstagg followed, their slow progress allowed them to view some of the many oddities The Collector had accumulated over his lifetime. Creatures and artifacts were displayed in various glass cases and odd cages.

Their guide suddenly stopped to present them to their host. "I present to you, Taneleer Tivan, The Collector," she bowed low.

Sif tried hard not to stare. The man was just as strange as the first time they had met him, when they had brought the Aether to him.

Taneleer bowed low, "Asgardians, to what do I owe the honor of this repeat visit?"

"We have come to ask yet another favor of you," Sif said.

"Oh, another favor?"

"Yes, we believe we may soon have yet another of the Infinity Stones," Volstagg said.

"Another?" The Collector's eyes opened wide, "that would be, most excellent. But… what is my part in this?"

"Thor has requested us to inquire if you believe your security sufficient to house two of the Stones," Sif's eyes were drawn to a tank behind Taneleer where a blue humanoid was floating in some liquid. The creature seemed to be waving at her. "Your, 'collection' is well-known."

"Ah, yes," Taneleer slowly swiveled his head to gaze upon the creature that had captured Sif's attention, "and this is one of my favorites," he moved to the tank, and stroked the glass lovingly.

Sif swallowed hard, trying not to show any of the disgust she was feeling.

"An interesting specimen," Volstagg said.

"Indeed," Taneleer nodded, his head now cocked to one side, "so this is the favor you ask?"

"Yes, it is," Sif kept her eyes on Taneleer, avoiding looking at any of the other tanks or cases.

The Collector clasped his hands together, bending his head to touch his face to them. Lifting his eyes back to his guests, he spoke, "I believe I could accommodate a second stone without any trouble. I have ten worlds filled with my museums. I could guarantee its safety. When would you bring it?"

"As soon as Loki returns with it," Volstagg said.

"Ah, yes, Loki. He is now king, is he not? What of Thor?"

"Thor works with his brother," Volstagg replied, "it is he who sent us here, to enquire if you were willing to aid us."

"I see," Taneleer paused, "would you care to see the Aether? To report back how good I am taking care of it?"

Sif kept her face still, trying not to let Taneleer see that this was exactly why they had come, "If it is not too much trouble."

"It is no trouble. Come, we shall visit the Aether, then you must dine with me."

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

"Are you two mad?" Sean asked; astounded at the plan Loki and Katirya had concocted.

"Perhaps, but they won't expect it," Loki grinned.

Someone started pounding on the window, startling them. All eyes turned to see Hogun's face framed in the window, he smiled as soon as he saw Loki and Katirya.

"It's Hogun!" Loki spoke, relief evident in his voice.

Sean jumped up to let him in. Hogun entered, grinning broadly at Loki. "I have found you. Heimdall has been upset that he cannot see you."

Loki put his arm around Katirya, "I told you, he hates when I do this," with a laugh, he looked back at Hogun. "Is Thor with you?"

"No, he had to remain back in Asgard. He sent me to find you," Hogun noticed the manner in which Loki was treating Katirya.

"And you have," Loki replied, "but we have not found the rest of the Stone yet, although we believe we know where it is. And, allow me to present you with your new queen. Katirya has agreed to become my wife."

"Your wife?" Katirya pulled away slightly, her eyes dancing with mischief, "I never said that I would be your wife, just the queen."

"Really?" Loki looked down at her, "I am afraid it's all or nothing."

"Hmmm, all or nothing, eh?" She appeared to consider the options, then relaxed back into his arms, resting her head on his chest, "I suppose I will, be your wife that is."

Hogun had enjoyed watching the exchange between the two, his smile growing broader as they had talked. "May I offer my congratulations, then? An excellent choice, my King, as the people already adore her."

Loki looked at Hogun, trying to gauge him. "Thank you."

"I must admit, I believe Thor was right," Hogun admitted, "you are the best choice for King of Asgard. I am beginning to see that now."

"Really?" Loki's eyebrows arched up in surprise. He had not expected any of the Warriors Three or Lady Sif to ever accept him at all.

"Yes, you seem more," he paused, seeking the right word, "mellow. Since the death of Odin, and your acceptance of the throne, things have changed. I honestly did not believe you would be the best choice, but I can see I was wrong. Your choice of queen makes it more obvious."

"Can I get you something to eat? We just finished breakfast, but there is plenty left," Sean asked.

Hogun nodded, "Thank you, that would be much appreciated."

Sean quickly set a place for Hogun, then brought over a selection of hot foods to go with the traditional brown bread. "More tea, anyone?" 

Katirya finally spoke up, "The Cartherions, did they arrive before you left?"

Hogun nodded. "Yes, they did. A man named Hadriath demanded you be turned over. He called you a traitor, since you killed his son."

Katirya winced at his words. "I should have expected he would be the one to come next. But a traitor?"

"Yes, and warned of war if we refused. Thor, of course, said he had no idea where you were. Thor sent Fandral to follow them back to Cartherion, to try to ascertain if they do intend war."

"And what of Sif and Volstagg? Do they remain with Thor?" Loki inquired.

"No, he sent them to the Collector."

"NO!" Katirya sat upright. "I do not trust him."

"Who is this collector?" Sean broke in.

"He is an Elder of the Universe. After his wife died, he started to collect things, rare things… and people. He has an extensive collection, several planets filled with them to be exact, but he is obsessed with them. At least, that is my opinion of him. I don't think he can be trusted," Katirya explained.

"Why did Thor send them to Taneleer?" Loki asked.

"He wants to make sure the Aether is still there, in his collection. He sent them to ask him if he would be willing to hold onto another of the Stones, hoping this would allay any of his fears, and allow Sif and Volstagg see the Aether," Hogun said.

"Interesting, Thor continues to surprise me," Loki leaned down, and whispered something to Katirya.

"_That _is a good idea," Katirya nodded. "It could easily be done."

"What?" Hogun asked.

Katirya suddenly looked out the window again, "Were you followed?"

"Probably," Hogun admitted.

"Fury is here, and they have surrounded the house. Loki, Greiwaldt, we must disguise ourselves!

With a snap of her wrist, Katirya changed her appearance. Her hair changed into a platinum blond color, as her eyes switched to a dark brown. Her face became more rounded, softer; and she seemed to get a little taller. Her clothing was the biggest change, for now she wore a pair of khaki hiking pants, and a dark green polo shirt. A pair of wire-framed glasses finished the transformation.

She grinned, "I always wanted to be taller," then turned to inspect the change in Loki.

Loki followed her cue, and his long, dark hair was now a short, dishwater brown color. His eye color changed to brown, and his facial features softened, losing the angular appearance. He appeared shorter where he sat, now dressed in a pair of brown pants, with a tan polo shirt.

"Meet Melanie and," Katirya/Melanie scanned Loki's new appearance, "Tim Wilson, of…" she scratched her chin as she thought, "of Chicago. Yes, Chicago. Is Chicago nice?"

Sean laughed as he set some guidebooks and tourist information on the table, "It will do, unless they ask too many questions."

"That won't be a problem," _Melanie _grinned, as she tapped her head, "I can read minds. Welcome back, Graham," she nodded at the transformed Greiwaldt.

Hogun stared at the three for a moment, before realizing all three were capable of the illusion. He carefully schooled his face to look as if he saw nothing out of the ordinary, then began to eat his breakfast.

Seconds later, a loud pounding was heard on the kitchen door.

"I'm coming!" Sean shuffled over to the door as his two dogs started barking. "Down, girls! Just more customers," he opened the door.

Jane and Fury pushed past him, entering the room. Their eyes quickly took in the scene at the table.

"Why is he here?" Jane pointed to Hogun.

"He stopped in, I offered him some breakfast," Sean looked curiously at Jane, then pointed to the teapot. "Tea? Or breakfast? I have enough leftovers, if you care to have a seat. Plenty of room at the table."

"We're fine," Jane focused on the couple sitting at the table, "Who are they, and have you seen Loki?"

_Melanie_ giggled. "Loki? What a funny name."

_Tim_ pinched her, hard.

"This be the honeymoon couple I was talking about last night, Tim and Melanie Wilson," Sean set the teapot on the table, "help yourself."

Erik had trailed in after Fury and Jane. Sitting down at the table, he poured himself a cup of tea, "Don't mind if I do. Jane, really, can you be a bit more civil?"

"Loki is around here somewhere, and I'm going to find him," Jane looked at the couple, "have either of you seen him?"

"Well, we haven't exactly been out much since we got here," _Tim_ grinned down at Katirya, "we are on our honeymoon."

_Melanie_ blushed, then giggled. "Yes, we just got here last night."

"I don't see a car," Fury was quick to point out.

"Oh, no. Timmy is such a sweetheart. He knew I always wanted to visit Ireland, so he arranged this absolutely fabulous trip for our honeymoon, like, way fabulous. Our driver dropped us off last night. He'll be back next week," _Melanie_ gushed, as she gazed up at _Tim_ adoringly, "and Timmy picked this place because it has cottages. So much more private than a traditional B & B, you know. And the hiking! Oh my gosh! The hiking here is just awesome. We planned to do some hiking during the day, and Sean here, he has been so wonderful, doing dinner as well as breakfast. So much more than your typical place, isn't it darling?"

"Yes, dear."

"Sean, you are still taking us hiking today, aren't you? To the stone circle?" _Melanie_ asked.

"So," Jane focused on Hogun who was still eating, "why did you come here?"

"I stopped to see if Loki was here, just like you have. And as you can see, he is not. This man offered me a meal. I accepted it."

"Jane…"

"Erik, don't 'Jane' me. I intend to find Loki. He is here somewhere. He can't have gone far."

"Ummm, yoo hoo!" _Melanie_ waved her hand, looking at Jane, "who is this Loki? And why are you looking for him?"

"Loki is wanted for his actions in New York, which he almost destroyed," Fury answered before Jane could, "and I intend to make sure he pays for what he did."

"Loki? New York?" _Melanie_ repeated, a quizzical look on her face.

"Thor's brother, Loki. He's like a god, but he almost destroyed New York."

"Thor? OH! I heard of that, now it makes sense," _Melanies_ eyes lit up, she stared at Jane. "You know Thor? Oh my god! He is so hot! Honey," she looked up at Loki again, "remember that TV report we saw, about New York. He was that dreamy looking guy, with the red cape," she looked back at Jane, "that's the one, right? The one with the red cape? There was also a guy with the red suit. That was Iron Man, right? And they saved the world, then. And didn't he do it again in Greenwich, when that spaceship landed. Thor saved the world, not once, but twice. Oh my gosh. I cannot believe it, and you know him? He is so wonderful…"

"Yes, that was Iron Man, Tony Stark, the one in the red suit, but really…"

_Melanie_ cut Jane off mid-sentence, "You know him too?" she squealed. "Are they here? Then Loki, was he the one with the long, stringy hair? Or was he the creepy one with the white and black face? The one in Greenwich? I told my friend Sue, that Thor was the hot one, she said Iron Man was hotter, or was it Captain America? I can't remember. Oh my gosh, you SO have to introduce me! My friends will NEVER believe it back home. I go on my honeymoon, and get to meet Thor!"

_Tim_ shot her a look, one that promised payback for her comments.

Hogun started coughing as he saw Tim's face, almost choking as he swallowed a bite of the bread, as Katirya babbled on about Thor.

"Well, Thor is not here, but this is one of his best friends," Jane smiled sweetly as she pointed to the choking Hogun, "this is Hogun, one of the Warriors Three. Are you okay?"

Hogun simply nodded, unable to speak, trying hard not to laugh.

"Oh my god! You know Thor too?" _Melanie_ sighed dreamily, "why did you not say so when you got here? Honey? We have to get a picture with them."

"If you insist, sweetie," _Tim _replied.

"Hang tight, Carol. Let me get your camera. Got your daypack ready over here," Sean headed out of the room, returning a few seconds later carrying a black backpack. He opened it up, taking out a digital SLR camera. "Why don't you all move a bit closer, and I can get the photo?"

"Cool!" _Melanie_ rose, pulling _Tim_ along with her, her eyes dancing with mischief, "come on sweetie; get in the picture too!"

Erik laughed, noticing that Jane was simply overwhelmed by the young newlywed, uncertain how to respond to her.

"Really, this isn't necessary, I'm not…" Jane tried to speak.

"No, you know Thor," _Melanie_ said, "oh, wait, I'm sorry. I didn't catch your name."

"It's Jane, Jane Fos.."

"Jane Foster! Really?" _Melanie's_ eyes grew round with excitement. "I read all about you, and what you did in Greenwich. You and Thor saved the world! This is just way too cool, isn't it honey?"

"Listen, we don't have time for this," Fury interrupted.

"It's just a photo, and my friends simply won't believe me if I don't get a picture," _Melanie_ insisted.

"Nick, it's all right," Jane said, "one photo, then we'll head back out."

As they stood together for the photo, one of Fury's men entered the kitchen, "No sign of Loki here. Looks like two cabins are being used."

"Yes, we are using one, and Graham is in the other," _Tim_ said.

"Well, we need to head out…"

"Oh, where are you going? Could we come along? In case you find Thor? I SO want a picture with Thor! And we were just about to head out anyway, weren't we honey?"

"We're just heading back to that pasture, the one with the stone circle," Jane said, looking at Sean, "that one we were going to yesterday when we met. I'm hoping Loki will show up there."

"OH! That's where we were going! Sean promised to show us the stone circle, then he said there were a few other ancient places nearby that we could hike to."

Jane perked up as she heard there were other ancient places, "There are? I wonder if Loki and Katirya went there? Perhaps the other part of that relic is in one of them."

"Katirya?" _Melanie_ asked. "What or who is a Katirya?"

"She is this crazy woman Loki is with." Jane said.

"Crazy?" _Tim_ asked, "how crazy. Maybe we don't want to go out if there are crazy people out there. I wouldn't want my little pumpkin to get hurt," he squeezed _Melanie_.

"But Thor might be out there, and I so want to meet him. Please?" _Melanie_ pleaded. "This has been the best trip ever. I mean, our honeymoon, Ireland, and now a chance to meet Thor!"

"All right, if you insist," _Tim_ rose, "let me just get our things together,"

"I've got them ready, Tim." Sean spoke up. "Let me just get my walking stick, and we can head out. Come along, girls," he whistled to the dogs, and they eagerly ran to the door.

"Really folks," Fury spoke up, "you don't want to meet these people. They are dangerous."

"But we have Hogun with us. He looks like he could take care of them. And you guys too," _Tim _pointed out.

Erik finished his tea, "I don't see why they can't join us. Maybe they can find Loki, since we haven't been able to."

"Well, I'm not going to be responsible for you, if anything happens to you…"

"We'll be fine, Mr. Fury." _Melanie_ smiled sweetly at him, as the party headed out the door.

_AUTHOR'S NOTE: I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I did writing it. _


	20. Chapter 20: Mayhem

Chapter 20: Mayhem

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

The Lady Sif and Volstagg were the first to return. Thor, restless, had been pacing a balcony overlooking the city.

"Finally!" he shouted as they entered the area, "what took so long?"

Sif exchanged a glance with Volstagg, recognizing the fact that Thor wasn't happy with his situation. "Taneleer is open to accepting another Stone. He did show us the Aether, and treated us to a delightful dinner."

"It was wonderful. Best meal I've had in many days."

"What? You've forgotten the recent feast?" Sif teased him.

"Well, no, but…" Volstagg shrugged, "it was good, you have to admit that."

"Enough about the food; the Aether, you saw it?" Thor asked.

"Yes, he insisted, we did not ask. Just as you requested," Sif replied.

"Excellent. I…"

Fandral entered before Thor could finish his sentence. "I am back," he announced his arrival with a flourish of arms, "and war is imminent, sort of. The Cartherions are arguing, and it might take them a bit of time to figure out who is going to attack, but the Council is in an uproar over the fact that Katirya refuses to return. Interestingly, the person impersonating the queen was not to be seen, nor spoken of. Almost as if she has disappeared."

"Really?" Sif asked, "What could have happened?"

"From what I could gather, word got out that the real Katirya is here," Fandral spread his hands out, "that would make the imposter needless. They no longer need to pretend, but they were not able to explain what happened to the Cronuth Stone."

"Was there any sign of Thanos?" Thor asked.

"No, if he is there, he is not making his presence known as I would have expected a more organized attempt at planning an attack, than the chaos they are creating. If they can get it figured out, I do not anticipate it will be much of a threat."

"Any attack cannot be taken lightly. We need to reinforce the city. I wish we could find Loki." Thor frowned, releasing a big sigh. "What is the problem within the Council?"

"Well, it seems that Katirya's parents are adamant that she is being held here against her will, while Hadriath says she is planning to attack Cartherion since she murdered his son. They are at odds with one another; so all the families have taken sides. Rather amusing, if you ask me."

"Interesting," Thor replied, "it seems this Council is truly in need of a leader."

"Indeed. I would venture to say that this disagreement is nothing new, based upon what I saw," Fandral said.

"What of Jane?" Volstagg asked.

"I do not know what to say of Jane's actions," Thor was at a loss for words, unable to explain why Jane had targeted Loki and Katirya, forcing them out of the Bifrost. "Until we can talk to her, we will not know. Hopefully Hogun can track them down."

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

"That's 'Director' Fury," Jane quickly corrected Melanie when she heard the woman refer to Fury as a plain 'mister'.

"Director?" _Melanie's _mouth dropped open. "You are a director? Sweetie, did you hear that? He's a director! Do you live in Hollywood? What movies have you directed? Did you know Sean named his two dogs after actresses? Oh my gosh, honey," she sighed in rapture, "this is definitely the best honeymoon ever."

"I know, pumpkin. I am so glad you are enjoying it," _Tim _gazed lovingly at his bride.

Hogun snorted, trying hard to reconcile the Loki he knew with this man in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Jane asked, a look of concern crossing her face.

"Uh, fine. Just swallowed wrong," Hogun replied. 

The party that departed Sean's B&B was amusing. His two dogs, Elizabeth and Jessica led the way, racing ahead, then doubling back to check that everyone was still coming.

Jane walked with Fury, leading the way. Holding hands, Melanie and Tim followed, with the others trailing along behind.

_Melanie_ continued with the endless chatter she had started in the kitchen. "I simply cannot believe this is happening! Honey, this has to be the best trip EVER! I mean, seriously, we are on our honeymoon, in the most romantic place on earth, and who do we meet? Jane Foster! And now we are out looking for Thor, AND we are in the company of a movie director! Are you out here to make a movie? Or what is it you do, scout locations?"

"No," Jane corrected, "Loki. We are looking for Loki. Thor can't come. And I'm not really famous. I'm just a scientist. And Director Fury is not a movie director, he's the director for S.H.E.I.L.D."

"But you were on TV. I've never been on TV. And why can't Thor come? I thought…"

Jane cut her off, "Katirya's people are about to start a war. He has to stay back to protect Asgard. Loki is King, but he's down here, and won't go back."

"That's not nice of him. Sweetie, you wouldn't be mean like that, would you?"

"No, honey. I wouldn't," _Tim _assured her, patting her hand.

"So, Melanie, what do you do for a living?" Erik switched the topic of the conversation, trying to bring some semblance of normalcy to it.

"Oh, I was working in a bookstore, that's how we met. Tim came in to buy a book, but I don't need to work anymore, Timmy's from a very wealthy family. Do you remember the day we met?" _Melanie _cooed sweetly_, _"you came in looking for a book about birds, and I helped you find it, and well… we

"Fell in love," _Tim _finished her sentence, "Yes, peaches, it was so wonderful."

"So, your family is well off?" Jane asked.

"Yes, but I do dabble in the market, investments, and such," _Tim _replied, "always looking for new ventures, you know."

"But I've always wanted to write a novel. Oh, honey-bunches, wouldn't this make an excellent story? Just think! It could be a murder mystery… Loki murdered someone in Ireland, and we are searching for clues to how he did it, and where he is hiding? What do you think?" _Melanie _spoke excitedly, grabbing onto _Tim's _arm_._

"The only murder here, is going to be hers," Jane muttered to Fury.

Fury's laughter caused the two dogs to start barking once more.

"Oh, look!" _Katirya _stopped, pointing off to the east where a herd of cattle were grazing peacefully around two of the helijets. "What are those?"

"The cows, or the helijets?" Jane replied sarcastically.

_Melanie _giggled. "The helicopter things, silly; you called them helijets? Are they helicopters or jets?"

"A combination of both," Fury replied in clipped tones, getting really annoyed with her.

"Are they yours? Can I take a picture?"

Fury nodded, hoping it might shut her up.

_Melanie _took out her camera, and quickly snapped a photo. "Timmy! We have to have our picture taken in front of one. Can we go on one? That would be so awesome."

Hoping it might distract her, allowing them to continue with their search, Fury pulled out his radio. "Hill! I'm sending two people over. Give them a tour of one of the birds."

"Sir?" Hill's voice crackled over the radio. "A tour?"

"Yes, he's a wealthy investor. Wants to look around, you know the drill." 

"Yes, sir!"

"Agent Hill will give you a tour if you head over to that one," Fury pointed out one of the two helijets in the field.

"Oh my god! This is SO exciting! Isn't it? Timmy, no one will believe we were this fortunate on our honeymoon, to get involved in a manhunt, and maybe get to meet Thor!"

"Thank you," Jane whispered to Fury as the couple headed off towards the helijet. She noticed that Hogun had decided to follow them, along with Sean and Graham. "Whew! I thought she'd never shut up!"

Fury laughed. "Well, Hill can deal with them while we head back to that stone circle and find Loki."

Agent Hill greeted the group as they approached the helijet. "Hi!"

Katirya smiled, "Oh wow! This is so exciting. Thanks so much for letting us see this helicopter."

"Helijet," Hill corrected her.

"Helijet? Why is it called that?" Loki asked.

"Well, let me show you around. I can't explain everything, of course, classified, but…" Hill's jaw dropped as suddenly Loki and Katirya appeared in place of the honeymoon couple, and Hogun stepped around her, clamped his hand over her mouth, and tossed her radio on the ground.

"No need, we can figure it out," Loki smiled at her, "nothing personal, but we need to borrow this for a little bit. I promise to return it, hopefully in one piece."

The group boarded the helijet, with Hogun marching Hill along with.

"I hope you know how to fly this," Katirya asked Loki.

"Can't be all that hard, can it?" He moved to the controls, looking them over.

Sean peered out, trying to locate Jane and Fury. Spotting them in the distance, he could see they had not bothered to look back. "They don't know, yet."

"Let's keep it that way," Loki started, when suddenly three men appeared and started shooting at them.

"Too late!" Greiwaldt shouted.

The two dogs started barking, Sean looked at them, spotting three more men moving in on them. "On your right!"

Katirya looked, then smiled, "The Thirteen ought to keep them busy," she pointed towards the newest group advancing on the helijet, and suddenly two of the Thirteen appeared.

"I thought you left them back on Asgard?" Loki shouted from the controls.

"No, they seem to follow me everywhere," Katirya shouted back. "Good thing too!" She sent several others towards the other two helijets.

"What are you doing?" Sean asked.

"Disabling them. They won't be able to follow us." Katirya grinned. "They do come in handy once in a while, now that they are obeying me, and not working with the Council. Hogun! Let that one go!"

Hogun nodded, seeing one of the Thirteen coming near. Pushing Hill off the helijet, he moved back towards the interior as he watched as Hill was swept up before she hit the ground, and carried about fifty yards before being set down.

Fury, Erik and Jane had turned around at the first sound of shots. They started running towards the helijet.

"Um, Loki… anytime now would be nice," Katirya commented.

With a sudden roar, the helijet came to life. The motors started spinning the blades, lifting it slowly off the ground.

"Hill?" Fury barked as he reached her, "What happened?"

"It was Loki, sir."

"Loki? You mean that was Loki all along?" Fury shouted, then started running towards the helijet. Stopping, he pointed a gun towards the helijet. He was about to pull the trigger, when one of the Thirteen appeared and spun him around.

The helijet was rising slowly, when suddenly it disappeared.

"Hill!" Fury barked. "Disable that cloaking!"

"Sir, I can't," Hill looked at him helplessly. "It was broken. We hadn't found out what was wrong."

"Well, apparently they figured it out."

"No," Jane spat, "It's them. Loki and Katirya."

"What do you mean?"

"Melanie and Timmywere really Loki and Katirya. They can create illusions, so they've hidden the helijet with an illusion."

"That big? Damn! We've got to follow them!" Fury shouted. "Come on! Let's go!" Racing towards one of the other helijets, they quickly boarded.

Katirya waited until they were onboard, then sent all Thirteen towards the helijet. A swirling wind picked up speed, and began to lift the helijet slightly off the ground, then tipped it over. She started to laugh as she walked up to the control area. "I think they will be a while before they get off the ground again."

"Sean?" Loki called out. "What way do we go?"


	21. Chapter 21: Progress

Chapter 21: Progress

_**•£• Loki •£•**_

"There," Sean pointed to a solitary ancient stone, standing upon a hill, "that's one of the stones for Bonane. The main part, the old ringfort, is over on that hill."

Loki nodded, piloting the helijet closer. He searched the ground for a moment, then selected a spot to land.

They disembarked, noticing the parking lot was completely empty.

"I know," Sean caught the looks, "Hardly anyone visits this spot. He started hiking up a steep incline. "Up this way."

After several minutes of hard climbing, they reached the top of the hill. Signs pointed out various historical points for the park. Sean ignored these, knowing precisely where he was going; he took the path to the left, heading towards the ringfort.

When they reached it, Katirya stepped to the front of the group, staring at the ringfort. She noticed a tiny hiking path that circled the walls of the ringfort. "Let's see if this takes us someplace where we can get inside, or on top."

The path led them around the ancient site, until they reached a section where it allowed entrance into the ringfort. They moved to the center of the ancient sight.

Katirya stood, looking around. She shook her head, "I sense it, but…" she took the piece she had out of her pouch, letting it rest in her hand.

Loki stepped up beside her, and stared down at the piece. "Wait a minute," he lifted her hand up so that the fragment fell in line with some boulders resting on the hill. The piece filled the space perfectly.

Katirya gave him a devilish grin, "I do believe you've found it, sweetie-kins!"

Loki growled, "You _will _pay for that," he wrapped his arms around her, and pulled her into a hard, demanding kiss.

She started to laugh when he released her, "I cannot wait."

"Ummm," Sean broke in, "if you two don't mind, I think we ought to find that piece, and get out of here before Jane and her buddy get here."

"He's right," Loki released Katirya, "let's go."

They walked to the spot between the two boulders. Centered in the ground between them was a small stone marked with ancient runes upon it. Loki knelt down, and lifting the stone, revealed the hiding place of the other piece of the Reality Stone. Picking it up, he handed it to Katirya who quickly joined the two pieces.

"Anyone have a wish?" she asked playfully, as she held the complete Stone aloft.

"I do! I wish that we get out of here before Jane gets here," Loki grinned.

"Agreed!" Sean and Greiwaldt spoke simultaneously.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Heimdall entered the throne room, walking purposefully towards Thor. Thor broke away from the guards he was speaking to, and turned to greet the gatekeeper. "Any news of my brother?"

"None," Heimdall replied, "but the Cartherions have sent out an army, and they are heading this way."

"So it begins," Thor mused. "Loki? Where are you?" He suddenly slapped his face, hearing the buzzing sound of a mosquito. "What the…? Where did that come from? We don't have mosquitoes in Asgard! Loki?"

"Right behind you, brother," Loki's voice whispered softly.

Thor whirled around to see Loki, along with Katirya and the others standing behind him. "What? How did you get here? Heimdall?"

"They did not use the Bifrost," Heimdall frowned.

Katirya laughed, holding up the Reality Stone. "We found it!"

"Where is Jane? What happened to her? Is she all right?" Thor voiced his concern.

"Jane is fine, I think," Loki answered, "at least she was fine when we last saw her, although Katirya's Thirteen were having a bit of fun with her and Fury."

"Why did she not return with you?"

"Really? Thor, are you serious? She pushed us out of the Bifrost. She is the one who called Fury in the first place, not exactly someone we planned to go hunting for the Stone with. She made a choice, and it did not include either of us," Loki pulled Katirya close to him. "Right now, the further away she is, the happier I am. Now, what mess have you stirred up in my absence? Hogun said you sent Sif and Volstagg to visit the Collector?"

"Yes, I thought it important to discover if the Aether was still in his possession."

Loki appeared to consider that for a moment, then nodded. "Good thinking."

"And is the Aether still there?"

Thor nodded, "It is. But about Jane…"

"Sorry, brother. We did not bring her back with us. If you want her here for the wedding celebration, you can go get her, but you'll be in charge of her."

"Wedding?" Thor looked from Loki to Katirya, then back to Loki, "you're getting married?" A huge smile broke onto his face. When Loki nodded, he added, "Congratulations!"

Noticing that Thor had dropped the topic of Jane, Loki did not bring it back up. "Thank you, and we would like to start the celebration this Friday, in honor of our Mother."

"That soon?" Thor looked surprised, knowing full well that the amount of work to be done, and Friday was only two days away!

Loki looked down at Katirya, "Yes, that soon."

Sean snorted behind them. "Yes, that soon," he repeated.

Katirya blushed as Loki dropped a kiss on to the top of her head.

"Did I miss something?" Thor looked at them curiously.

Sean chuckled, "Aye, you missed something. Sooner you get those two wed, the better."

Greiwaldt chimed in, "Let's just say, the sooner the better."

"Well, we have much to do. But first, the Reality Stone, that is the one you found? You found the missing piece?"

Katirya nodded, handing him the Stone. Thor inspected it, turning it over. "I wonder why it was separated in the first place?"

"Made it safer, in case someone found one piece by accident," Sean said.

Katirya scrutinized Sean, "You… you are not mortal, are you?"

Sean shuffled, refusing to meet Katirya's eyes. He stared down at the ground, not answering.

"No, he is not," Greiwaldt answered for him. "He is the one who brought the Stone down to Earth. He was given the task to keep watch over it. Kiri, there is something you need to know, about your parents."

"Greiwaldt?" Katirya focused on him. "Explain yourself. I am confused."

"I am confused as well. So," Thor looked at Sean, "you are from Cartherion?"

"No, I am the son of one of the Elders. I was given the task to watch over the Stone, to make sure that Thanos did not obtain it. Greiwaldt is my brother. His task was to watch over our little sister, Katirya."

"What?" Three voices chorused at once as Katirya, Loki, and Thor heard Sean's words.

Greiwaldt sighed, "Yes, our sister, or rather, half-sister. Your mother was Beythran, the real one. She was murdered, back after the Council, when you took the Cronuth Stone. I am not certain who is pretending to be her now, but that explains your powers. All three of us have them, thanks to our father. It is why Beythran could not teach you much, compared to what you could learn, and why I taught you as much as I could. But to be honest, Kiri, your powers are far greater than either of ours. That is because of your mother."

"If Beythran is my mother, then who is my father… or rather, our father?" Katirya stared at her newfound brothers. "And, what of Micarian, my brother? Is he still my brother?"

"Yes, Micarian is your half-brother, you both share the same mother. Your father is Taneleer Tivan, the Collector," Sean replied bluntly.

"No!" Katirya stared at him in shock, stepping back into Loki. Loki put his arms around her, supporting her. "Not him, please tell me you are not telling the truth? And why are my powers greater than yours?"

"Beythran did possess a high level of powers. It is why Althanas married her. I also believe that either he, or his brother, Thanos, had a part in your conception. They were always sending Beythran to Taneleer with things for his collection, and to learn new magic. I would almost bet on the fact that they hoped he would seduce her, and of course he complied." 

"But why? Why send my mother there? What did they want?"

"Think, Kiri," Greiwaldt spoke up, "A child with the powers of an Elder? Why do you think Thanos desires you for a wife?"

"But…" Katirya kept trying to refute their information, "what if I had been a boy?"

"I would imagine Althanas would have simply sent Beythran back again, until she finally conceived a girl. Taneleer easily influenced her, and in her own way, I think she loved him. Her marriage to Althanas was arranged, she had little love for him. She was more than happy to remain in the country with you, avoiding the city and his presence," Sean said.

Thor had listened to the exchange in silence. He finally spoke up, "Sean, or.. what is your real name?"

"You can call me Sean. It's the name I've gone by for centuries, while living in Ireland, watching over the Stone."

"Ok, Sean, if Beythran is dead, do you have any idea who is impersonating her?"

Shaking his head, Sean replied, "No, although I would suspect it is someone close to Thanos."

"You're back!" Darcy burst into the room, followed closely by Ian and Micarian. "Is Jane with you?"

"No, she is still back on Earth," Thor replied.

"Speaking of Jane," Katirya spoke up, "I have a question. She possessed the Aether for a bit, correct?" When Thor and Loki both nodded, she went on, "is it possible, that Malekith did not extract all of it from her?"

Thor frowned, "I do not know, why do you ask?"

"When we were at Sean's, after we found the first piece of the Stone, I could still sense a part of a Stone. I thought it was the other piece, that is was nearby in another stone circle," Katirya's eyes suddenly narrowed as she looked at Sean. "You knew where it was, didn't you. You could have helped us to find it sooner, couldn't you?"

"Well, yes," Sean admitted, "but you did find it on your own. I would have eventually helped, if you didn't find it."

Katirya shot him a look.

Loki laughed, "I think you're in trouble," he then leaned down to whisper something in Katirya's ear, causing her to blush.

"When we left, on the helijet, I no longer sensed the presence of the Stone. At least not until we got closer to the new site, then I could sense a Stone again. I wonder if it is possible she still retains some of the Aether."

"It might be possible, then," Thor replied.

"And, it would explain her reaction to you," Darcy said. "I honestly have never seen her like this before."

Loki looked at his brother, seeing an array of emotions crossing his face. "Difficult decision, but I suggest, if Kiri doesn't mind, that we bring her up here for the celebration. It might afford her another opportunity to see if Jane does have any remnants of the Aether."

Katirya nodded her assent, then with an impish smile, in her best _Melanie _voice, "Sweetie-pie, do you mind if we don't invite the rest of my relatives? I can deal with Jane if I don't have to have _daddy,_ and my adoptive daddy here… along with his brother," she glanced towards her brothers, "you boys don't mind, now do you? If _daddy _isn't invited?"

Thor threw back his head, and laughed, "I think you are going to have your hands full with that one, brother."


	22. Chapter 22: Celebration

Chapter 22: Celebration

•_**£• Loki •£•**_

Loki hesitated a few moments, wondering how he would be received as he entered the Great Hall. He had a brief flashback, to that day when Thor had been about to be crowned King, the day he had allowed the Frost Giants to enter Asgard. They had walked together from their rooms, but he had separated from his brother, allowing Thor to have the limelight.

The roars had been deafening as Thor had entered, walking with great pride towards what he thought was going to be his coronation. Instead, he had ended up being banished to Earth. That was when he met Jane Foster. Loki suddenly realized his part in bringing the mortal into their lives. He started thinking about various 'what if' scenarios, then realized it did not make any difference. He could not change the past; he could only face the future.

Today, Thor had gone ahead, to make sure everything was ready at the high table.

He looked into the hall. It had been decorated for the event. Strings of lights started in the center of the ceiling, and were draped to the sides. Each column was encircled with more strands of lights. Candles were set upon every table, and the head table, off to the side of the Throne, was draped with green and gold ribbons. A curtain behind it shimmered with tiny lights, offering a stage for the crowd to gaze at those who would be seated at the table.

Taking a deep breath, he lifted his chin as he schooled his face to remain impassive. He did not anticipate hearing a roar such as had greeted his brother, so he did not want to let on any sense of disappointment. He stepped into the Great Hall, looking forward; he started walking towards the front where the steps led up to the throne.

The room silenced as soon as they discovered he had entered, and then slowly, one by one, people began to clap, and shout out his name. He was humbled by the reception. He looked from side to side, seeing only smiles on the faces of the people. His features softened slightly, and he nodded as he returned the greetings, beginning to enjoy his reception. He felt a sense of contentment wash over him, something he had never expected to happen. His acceptance by the people of Asgard made him finally feel the equal of his brother.

A flash of red near the throne captured his attention. Thor was standing at the top of the steps, grinning from ear to ear. Loki couldn't help himself from returning the smile.

He reached the base of the steps, and was about to climb them, when another memory flashed through his mind. He suddenly remembered the day he had been brought forward in chains, following his antics on Earth. He glanced to the left, to the doorway where Frigga had always stood, and blinked, for she was standing there, smiling at him.

_'Do not look back, my son. Move forward, as the past is over and you cannot change it. I am so proud of you.'_

Her voice sounded in his mind. He blinked again, but now she was gone. He noticed a flower lying upon the ground. He walked over, and picked it up. It was a jasmine, his mother's favorite flower.

"Loki?" Thor's voice broke into his thoughts.

Loki climbed the steps, still holding the flower. "I thought I saw Mother, standing there. Instead, I found this," he held out the flower.

Thor looked at it, then chuckled lightly. "She continues to watch over us."

"She said she was proud of me," Loki said.

"And she would be. You have become a King to be proud of."

Loki simply nodded, pleased with where his life had gone. He knew he had made mistakes, but he had never had regrets. He looked down the path he had just traveled, and entering the room was his new bride, with Sean and Greiwaldt escorting her in. She has asked her older brothers to stand in for her absent father. Micarian sat with the Warriors Three and Lady Sif. Erik, Darcy and Ian had joined them also. The only one missing was Jane Foster; she had refused to attend.

A huge smile crossed his face as the crowd started to clap, tossing flower petals in her pathway.

"You have chosen well, brother," Thor spoke softly.

As Katirya slowly made her way towards the two brothers, Loki noticed her eyes focused solely on him, the love shining out warmed his heart. He barely noticed that she had chosen an emerald green gown edged in gold, in tribute to him. The A-line dress fell to the floor, delightfully enhancing her figure. The scoop neckline, with cut-away sleeves exposed her slender neck. The half-sleeves were connected to the bodice of the dress by small straps, with golden embroidery accenting them. A gold belt encircled her waist. Her hair was loosely braided in the back, and when she stopped at one point to turn to talk to someone, he could see jasmine flowers were entwined in the braid. He glanced down at the flower, still in his hand, and smiled.

From his vantage point, Loki watched Katirya's progression towards the front of the hall. She was stopped often, indication of her widespread acceptance by the people.

At one point, he noticed Brandt race up to her. She bent down to speak to the young boy. He saw Brandt hand her something, which she placed on her thumb, then she kissed the young boy on the top of his head. Looking up, she found his parents, and walking over to them, giving each a hug.

A strange thought entered his mind, how did he feel about her being more powerful than he was? And, hadn't she come here with the express intention to marry one of Asgard's princes? Did she truly love him?

Thor must have read his thoughts, "She does love you."

Loki nodded, "Yes, I just wonder…"

"Do not tell me you are getting the jitters? You are not going to run off, are you?" Thor joked, "As I shall not stand in for you."

"No, I… " Loki considered his words, realizing that he had always only wanted to be accepted as Thor's equal, grinning, he went on, "I just was thinking."

By now, Katirya had reached the steps, and began to climb them. Sean and Greiwaldt released her, leaving her to stand before Loki. Sean then handed a sword to her, which she in turn presented to Loki. Loki followed suit, offering to his bride, a sword that she would keep for their son.

The next part of the ceremony involved the exchange of rings. Loki took her hand, and removing the claddagh ring Sean had given him back on Earth, he reversed the direction of it, indicating that she was now married, but before he placed it back on her finger, he added a second ring. This golden ring was an oath ring, a golden ring that twined around the claddagh ring. Katirya then pulled off her thumb, the object that Brandt had given her. It was a square cut emerald, set in gold, and surrounded by an oath ring as well. He recalled that Brandt's father was one of the finest jewelers in Asgard at that moment, so he glanced out into the crowd, finally sighting the man, and smiled broadly in thanks.

Sean and Greiwaldt then spoke together, "We give thee our sister."

Loki nodded his acceptance. "I thank you for your generous gift."

They all moved to the table, where Katirya picked up a goblet of mead, offering it to Loki. After he had taken a drink, he in turn offered the cup to her. Once they had both taken a drink, they were now considered married. A roar erupted from the crowd in the hall, signifying the approval of the marriage, and the beginning of the feast.

The food and wine flowed for hours, followed by dancing until it was almost midnight. With a broad grin, Thor approached the newly wed couple. "I think it is time to put you to bed!"

His comment caused a roar of laughter, and not a few ribald comments from those nearby.

Sif stepped forward, and taking Katirya's arm, escorted her from the room towards Loki's chambers to prepare her for her wedding night. As they traveled through the Great Hall, several women joined the group. Loki watched as she smiled, greeting each newcomer to procession, his gaze following her until she was out of the room.

Loki suddenly found himself surrounded by Thor, the Warriors Three, and Katirya's brothers. All of them began to make jokes about his stamina and abilities, with Fandral quick to offer his services in his stead. He simply raised one eyebrow, saying nothing, attempting to silence them. It only seemed to egg them on to further insults as to his sexual abilities.

They finally reached the doors to his chambers. Just as they were about to open the doors, the three collies burst into the hall barking incessantly, followed by Sean's two dogs. The dogs ducked under everyone's feet, racing into the room and jumping upon the bed, where Katirya was waiting.

"Really!" Katirya laughed as she was accosted by the pack of dogs. "Are we to have no privacy tonight? I understand the ceremony, but I do hope someone will take you five off tonight and leave us in peace."

Sean whistled, and all five dogs bounded off the bed, racing to sit in front of him eagerly. He winked at Katirya, "I'll see to them."

Loki moved to the door, holding it open, he looked at the crowd gathered in the room, "Now, if you all do not mind…?"

Taking the hint, everyone filed out, leaving the couple alone finally.

_**~ß~ Katirya ~ß~**_

Katirya woke up alone in the bed, although she was not alone in the room. She heard Sif and Bryn, Brandt's mother, as they clattered about the room, making as much noise as they possibly could, clearly trying to awaken her.

"Be gone! I'm trying to sleep!" she mumbled, sticking her head under a pillow.

Bryn laughed, "Tired are you? I take it you did not sleep well."

Katirya's hair was a mess. The flowers that had been lightly braided in her hair were strewn about the bed; clear signs that sleep had not been the primary activity the night before. She rolled over, her eyes half-closed, to look at the two women. The contented smile on her face offering sufficient answer.

Bryn and Sif exchanged a knowing look. Katirya caught it, and blushed slightly. Her mind flew through the events of the night, recalling that she had not fallen asleep until the light of dawn had started to creep in the room.

"Come on, my lady," Sif spoke up, "you do need to make an appearance at breakfast. And there is the bride's gift. I am curious to see what Loki has chosen."

At the mention of food, Katirya sat up. "Breakfast? I am starved!"

Bryn laughed heartily. "Hungry are you? That's a good sign."

"A good sign?" Katirya looked slightly puzzled, until she noted the broad grin on Bryn's face. "Oh."

Sif held out a daffodil yellow chemise, which Katirya slipped over her head.

Swinging her legs over the side of the bed, she sat there a few moments before finally standing up. She completed her outfit by adding an emerald green bodice, and a full yellow skirt. Sitting down, she picked up a comb, attempting to comb out her hair.

"Ouch!" Katirya struggled with her long hair.

"Here, let me, my lady," Bryn took the comb. Katirya winced as the woman tugged at the tangled mess. After several minutes, she'd finally combed out the tangles, and began to loosely braid it, coiling it up to frame Katirya's face.

Fully dressed finally, Katirya left the chambers, heading down to the Great Hall with Sif and Bryn following her. As she entered, she searched the room, quickly spotting Loki off to one side. Moving to join him, she smiled at people as she passed them.

Loki had seen her the instant she entered the room. He faced her, waiting for her to join him, a broad smile on his face. When she finally reached him, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her soundly. A huge roar rose up from the crowd, clearly approving this action.

Katirya's eyes dropped once he released her, a blush rising on her face.

Loki signaled, and a servant appeared, bearing the bride-gift. Katirya gasped as she saw a gorgeous golden tiara, with a matching necklace and earrings. As Loki presented these to her, she smiled, whispering softly to him, "I do hope this tiara does not come with attending souls."

Loki laughed, "No, I thought one of those sufficient for you."

The couple then moved to the head table, and once seated, breakfast was served.

_**~∫ Thor ∫~**_

Thor, while happy for his brother, felt a sense of sadness that Jane had chosen not to come back with him. He'd gone down to Earth the day that Loki had announced the wedding, but she had been adamant about not attending.

Volstagg, a drink in one hand and a platter of food in another, sat down next to him. "Must say, I do love weddings."

Thor laughed, "You enjoy any celebration, as long as it includes a feast."

"Aye, but wedding celebrations last a week."

Shaking his head, Thor looked out at the crowd, spotting Sif chatting with Bryn. He quickly recalled his father's words, telling him to look closer, that Jane was not an acceptable choice. He loved Jane, but her reaction to Katirya was so unlike her. Was it because she was a mortal? Did she feel threatened by Katirya, even though he had shown no interest her. Or was Katirya correct in thinking that Jane still carried some remnants of the Aether?

Darcy interrupted his musing, "Thor?"

He blinked, looking at her, "I'm sorry, I was thinking."

"Yeah, I could tell," Darcy grinned. "Anyways, I was like thinking, I'm kinda worried about Jane. She's, like, not been acting like herself lately, so I was thinking maybe I ought to go back. Check on her, you know."

Thor nodded. "Yes, she was acting strangely. But you will miss all the celebrations. They have just begun, and will go through the week."

"A whole week?" Darcy looked surprised. "Wow!"

"Yes, an entire week," he chuckled.

Darcy considered that, then announced, "I wish I could stay, but I should go back."

"I shall be happy to escort you…"

"No!" Darcy cut him off. "I'll be fine, you need to stay here. When this is all over you can come down. Maybe I can figure out what's wrong with Jane by then."

Thor made the arrangements for Darcy, Ian and Erik to return to Earth.

The final day of the celebrations, the evening feast was the most lavish yet. Loki, at the prompting of the crowd, was kissing Katirya when a guard entered the Great Hall. He approached the head table.

"My King!" the guard shouted.

Thor was instantly aware that something was wrong.

Loki broke off the kiss to stare at the guard. "Yes?"

"The Gauntlet, it has been stolen!"

**Author's Note: **_This is the end of Exile, as Katirya has found a home in Asgard, but the tale is not over for there is still one more of the Infinity Stones to uncover__**. **__I hope you have enjoyed this story. The third story in this series, "Retribution", is now posted. I hope you will continue to follow the adventures of Loki, Katirya, and Thor. _

_For the wedding celebration, I based much of this on ancient Norse traditions. _


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